Hoenn's Princess and her Guardian
by Holy157
Summary: Ash had matured and was now a full fledged Aura Guardian. Returning to Hoenn, following his duties as an Aura Guardian. But he didn't know that he would find his very own 'Princess'.
1. Chapter 1 - Coming together

**A new story? I got no idea how I managed to write nearly 4k of words in a few days. Somehow I flipped a switch and managed to write this. So what's it about? It's Advanceshipping, and for those who've read _Journey of the loving ones_ you'll recognize it somewhat. I had originally planned to probably finish it, but this'll somewhat be its replacement. It'll be different and similar at the same time. Also, I'm going to apologize again for my last story where I screwed up big. But I'll still learnt something, and hopefully I won't make the same mistake here. Enough talking for now, review as usual and welcome to Chapter 1 of _Hoenn's Princess and her Guardian_.**

**" " - Speech**

**_" "_ - Pokespeech**

**_' '_ _- Telepathy_**

**' ' - Thoughts**

**Ages**

**Ash:18**

**May:15 (soon 16)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

He thought he had it. But he was proven wrong the second Regice collapsed and his opponent was declared winner. His three Regis and his three normal Pokemon had been defeated. It was an impressive victory, especially considering the age different between him and his opponent.

"So Brandon, do you finally understand that you won't beat me?" a young man asked, wearing the uniform of an Aura Guardian while holding a staff which had belonged to Sir Aaron. Sitting on his shoulder was his best friend, a Pikachu which had for the second time defeated Regice. Then, of course, next to him stood a Lucario. Not just any Lucario, but Sir Aaron's Lucario. He had been told of the adventures involved and had seen the revival of the Lucario. It was hard to believe that a boy, who had only become a man a few months ago was far wiser than many adults he knew. He had beaten all of his friends in the Battle Frontier, but for some reason he had came back to him and asked to travel with him in the Battle Pyramid after he had been in Sinnoh.

"Well, what should I expect? 3 years of training with now your strongest Pokemon? I tried at least." Brandon responded, grinning at the man.

"Are you going to drop me off in Hoenn or not?"

"You won, so I guess I've no choice." Brandon said, leaving the Aura Guardian alone.

"Well, maybe I need to give him another beating soon." The Aura Guardian said, mostly to himself but also to his Pikachu and Lucario.

'_You know that he could always ask Regigigas to help him.'_ Lucario stated, chuckling at Ash's paling expression. Even he feared Regigigas, considering he could command the other 3 Regis.

"Don't give him the idea, I honestly don't want to battle all four of them." the Aura Guardian said, leaving his two companion in his dust.

"_**Maybe you shouldn't have said that, now he'll probably think about staying away from here. And I like this place." **_Pikachu said, looking at Lucario before following his trainer. Having no choice, Lucario went in the same direction his Master and friend had left.

* * *

"So Ash, we'll reach Hoenn in a few minutes. I suppose you simply will jump down?" Brandon asked, knowing Ash not wanted to draw more attention to the Battle Pyramid then needed.

"You know, why did I ever choose this place? I should've asked Spencer, but sadly you're the only one who's facility flies." Ash stated, already holding a poke ball in his hand.

"Alright, but don't call for me when you want me to come. I'll give you 2 months and then I'll return from Sinnoh. For some reason I got the idea of asking Regigigas to come with me temporarily." Brandon said, wondering why that idea had popped into his mind.

'Dear god, why did I revive him?' Ash asked himself, looking at Lucario who nearly grinned.

"Here we go, see you in two months!" Brandon shouted, watching as Ash was running down the ramp and going for a free fall. Throwing the poke ball, Ash released Pidgeot before catching the ball and landing on Pidgeot's back with Lucario and Pikachu landing a few seconds later.

"Pidgeot, I need you to fly me to Littleroot Town!" Ash shouted, knowing Pidgeot wouldn't hear him else.

'_Are you going to compete in the Pokemon League again?' _Lucario asked, having heard of Ash's entire journey.

'_I mean it's not like I got something to do, I got the Gym Badges and two months time.' _Ash responded, not bothered to use his voice when the chance of him being heard was rather low. After an hour, Ash could spot the little town of Littleroot and the few buildings that it was made of.

"Land outside the lab Pidgeot!" Ash shouted, Pidgeot flying slower now also meant she could hear him. Needing a few more minutes, everyone outside looked up to see a Pidgeot slowly landing outside the lab. To his own surprise, Ash had thought of changing his clothes before leaving the Battle Pyramid. It helped that he could change them at will, and now he was wearing the clothes that he had used during his Sinnoh journey. Quickly recalling Pidgeot, Ash simply knocked on the door to the lab. He heard a thud and sighed as he continued to wait. Then the door was opened, and a middle aged man with brown hair a white coat stood at the door looking surprised at the figure standing at his door.

"Ash?" Prof. Birch asked, looking at the young man who had 5 years ago appeared here.

"Can I at least come in?" Ash asked, having forgotten that the summer was about to end. Which meant that, even in Hoenn, it started to get colder.

"Oh, sorry! Come on in!" the Professor quickly said, standing aside so Ash could enter.

"I see the changes Professor." Ash stated, the sarcasm clear after he had looked around the lab.

"It has only been 5 years! And I think Pikachu is happy that nothing has changed." Prof. Birch pointed out, getting Ash and Pikachu to remember the event that had happened during their arrival.

"Whatever. Are new trainers coming today?" Ash asked, having spotted the 3 poke balls on the table.

"Ah, yes!" Prof. Birch exclaimed, having forgotten about it. Then someone knocked on the door, two heads turning towards the door.

"Shouldn't you open it?" Ash asked, still amused by the Professor. Having heard the words, Prof. Birch quickly hurried to the door and opened it.

"Hello Prof. Birch." a girl, maybe a year or two younger than Ash, greeted. He had seen many girls during his travels, but she was different. She was wearing a simple orange vest with a black skirt, her brown hair reaching her back.

'_Snap out of it.'_ Lucario said, having noticed the drool forming in Ash's mouth. Shaking his head, without anyone noticing, Ash quickly cleared his thoughts.

"Good to see you May!" Prof. Birch exclaimed, letting May enter. "I suppose you're going to pick Torchic?"

"I'm!" May said, sounding quite excited. Then she noticed Ash, thinking along the same lines he had just done a few minutes ago but without the drool. Then something happened which surprised everyone present. Pikachu decided that May was someone he liked, gut feeling maybe, and left Ash's shoulder and walked over to May. Jumping up on her shoulder, Pikachu gave her a lick on the cheek before nuzzling it affectionately.

"Hey Pikachu!" Ash said, glaring at Pikachu who sweatdropped as he noticed Ash.

"Ash, you wanted to be registered for the league right?" Prof. Birch asked, not bothering to mention what just happened.

"What about it?" Ash asked, having noticed the Professor's change in behavior.

"Well, I'll register you. But I'll only do it if you do me a favor." Prof. Birch said grinning, knowing he was stepping on thin ice.

"A favor?" Ash questioned, looking at the Professor.

"You know, May has never left Petalburg and could need some help during her journey." Prof. Birch said.

"I know where this's going Professor, but I say no." Ash responded, having no idea to help a girl that was 2 years younger than him through at least the early stages of their journey.

"Well, then I can't register you the league." Prof. Birch stated, making Ash sweatdrop.

"I can just go to any Pokemon Center." Ash said, not knowing that the Professor had planned ahead.

"It won't be that simple, I told them to not accept your registration." Prof. Birch, knowing that he most likely just had broken the ice.

"You did what?!" Ash exclaimed, clearly not happy with the turn of events. During their entire exchange May had been silent, but now started giggling like a little girl as she watched Ash and the Professor. Even though she understood that Ash was one of those who you didn't want to get on their bad side.

"Well, maybe Blackmailing isn't the best thing to do. But I didn't know of another method that would work with you." Prof. Birch explained, while May continued to giggle.

"Do I've any choice? Doesn't seem so. Alright Professor, register me and I'll take her with me." Ash accepted, sighing at the thought.

"Hey, I won't be that much of an annoyance!" May pouted, puffing her cheeks and faking anger.

"I never said that, but I prefer doing things on my own and now I got to delay everything I do." Ash said, not impressed by May's act. She was confident and thought high of herself, but she didn't know how fast that would change.

"Well, you're now registered Ash. And here're your poke balls and pokedex May." Prof. Birch said, not giving Ash any attention.

"Thanks Professor." May said, before looking at Ash.

"Are you ready?" Ash asked, not even looking at her while heading to the door. Wanting to answer, she was never given time as he had already left the lab.

"Why did you even ask him to travel with me?" May asked the Professor, seeing no good reason at all.

"Some of his friends asked me, and I also think it'll do him good. Maybe you can soften him up and break his shell." Prof. Birch said smirking, making May blush a little at his statement.

"Alright then, I'll see you sometime Professor!" May said, heading to the door while having no intentions of getting left behind by Ash.

* * *

May had thought of using her bike but had decided against it, now she started regretting it. Ash was walking fast, and she had not an easy time to keep up with him.

"So, are you going to challenge the Pokemon gym in Petalburg?" May asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"I've already beaten all the gyms, but if I remember correctly I might challenge it." Ash responded, keeping up with his high pace.

"What's there to remember about it?"

"Is the gym leader Norman?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He's probably the strongest of the gym leaders in the region, especially if he wouldn't hold back." Ash explained, remembering the second battle he had with Norman. After winning his bade, he had challenged Norman to a fist fight. Which wasn't his brightest idea ever, even though he came close to winning. After a few minutes they could see Oldale Town, and Ash slowed down a little. Even though he hadn't asked to travel with May, he was no monster.

"So, what's your full name?" May tried, hoping to avoid those long silences.

"Ash Ketchum. And your's?" Ash responded, chuckling at May's surprised expression.

"You're Ash Ketchum? You're one of the best trainers out there!" May exclaimed, having seen Ash's last battle that was broadcasted.

"You probably think because of what you've seen. Back then I was good, but far from the level of the Elite Four or the Champions. But right now, I'm probably stronger than many Elites." Ash stated, enjoying her changing expressions.

"Could I battle you?"  
"No. What's your name?"

"May Maple."

"You're the daughter of Norman?" Ash choked, knowing what would happen to him if he let anything happen to May. Without using Aura he probably would've a hard time from stopping Norman in a fight. Not having noticed, they had reached the Pokemon Center which they entered.

"Hello Nurse Joy." Ash greeted the nurse, having met nearly all of them between Kanto and Sinnoh.

"Welcome! What can I do for you?" Joy asked, having a smile on her face as she looked at the two young trainers.

"We would need a room."

"Here, but it only got one bed." Joy said, earning mixed responses from both. Ash didn't mind, he would take the floor if needed. And May, well, she nearly fell backwards at the thought of sharing a bed with Ash.

"We'll take it." Ash stated, giving May no chance to voice her opinion.

Having walked to the far end of the floor, Ash opened the door and looked inside. A standard room.

"Do we really've to share bed?" May sighed, not wanting to admit she had nothing against it.

"If you want to. I got no problem with it." Ash stated, not either wanting to admit that he sure didn't have any problems with it.

"I'm going outside and train a little. Maybe you can help me." May exclaimed, heading to the door.

"Alright, give me a few minutes and I'll come."

"I'll be waiting!" May said, closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Oh man, why did this happen to me?" Ash asked himself, ignoring the fact that Lucario had managed to leave his poke ball or that Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder.

'_Don't act like you don't like 're already heels over her.' _Lucario said, earning a chuckle from Pikachu.

"Hey, tell that Pikachu!" Ash pointed out, remembering the scene clearly.

"_**Don't try to change the subject!" **_Pikachu stated, but regretted after looking at Lucario.

'_So, what was that about?' _Lucario asked, having being as surprised as everyone who saw it.

"_**Well, she seemed like a nice person and I had a feeling she would tag along." **_Pikachu tried, but neither of them believed it.

'_Stop it, both of you. Time'll tell why you did it.' _Lucario said, leaning against a wall while waiting for Ash to get ready to leave.

* * *

"You can do it Torchic!" May cheered, supporting Torchic as he was trying to learn to use Ember. Since the last few tries, Torchic had managed to use Ember. But, it didn't go very far or last very long.

"Would you look at that! A little girl and her Pokemon. The Pokemon is probably from Prof. Birch, we might be able to use it." a man said, wearing a uniform.

"Maybe we can've some fun with her before we leave." the second man said, wearing a blue uniform. Looking at them, Torchic tried to use Ember to stop them from hurting his trainer.

"Hey, that Torchic nearly used Ember. For probably having being obtained today that's not bad!" the man pointed out, quickly adjusting his blue bandana. May had no idea if Ash had left the Pokemon Center, how close he was or if he even could hear her. But she had to try.

"ASH!" May screamed, hoping he would hear her.

* * *

"Was that May?!" Ash exclaimed, having heard her scream.

'_C'mon, we need to help her!' _ Lucario shouted, feeling that May was in danger. Running as fast as they could, Ash tried to find the place where May had gone training.

* * *

"Scream as much as you want! No one'll hear you, and even if they do, and no one'll help you!" the blue clothed man said. "Now, why don't we've some fun together?"

"Stay away from me!" May shouted, back away from the two men, before stumbling backwards. Not being able to react, everything went dark for May as her head hit a stone.

"Damn it! Why did the girl've to hit her head?!" the blue clothed man asked angry, but couldn't say any more as he lost his breath.

"What the-" the red clothed man started, but was sent crashing into the ground by a powerful roundhouse kick.

"And I thought Team Magma and Team Aqua had disbanded. And now you work together?" Ash said, watching the two grunts getting up from the ground.

"You better stop this kid, this's none of your business." the Aqua grunt said, still trying to understand how Ash had managed to even hit him.

"Kid? Well, I don't know but shouldn't you maybe run? I could probably see you as bloody pulps but I'm not a monster." Ash said, collecting Aura before sending it straight into the Aqua grunt's face. The Magma grunt didn't have the same luck, instead he had to feel a Force Palm straight onto his chest.

"Good job Lucario." Ash praised his companion, who looked at May with worry in his eyes.

'_You need to help her!'_ Lucario nearly shouted, having noticed May's head bleeding.

"Officer Jenny? Ash Ketchum here. I got a Team Magma and Team Aqua grunt here, ready to be picked up by you. I'm going to leave, I got to bring an injured person to the Pokemon Center."

"Alright, I'll pick them up for a moment. Do've any more business with them?" Officer Jenny asked, having heard of the boy named Ash Ketchum.

"No, you can do whatever you want with them." Ash responded, knowing that those grunts didn't have any valuable information. Quickly putting away his phone, Ash rushed over to May before starting to carry her back to the Pokemon Center, bridal style.

* * *

'What happened.' was May's first thought, feeling a massive pain coming from her bed. Moving a little, she felt that she was lying in a bed, she could only see a little because of the light that managed to come through the blinds. Sitting in a chair, next to her bed, was Ash. Pikachu was sleeping in his lap and his Lucario was leaning against a wall. She remembered that she was training with Torchic and that those two men had wanted Torchic. Then they also wanted to do something with her, but she didn't know what they had meant.

"You're awake." Ash stated, having woken up a few seconds ago and seen May's eyes open.

"What happened?"

"I found out out cold, you hit your head on a stone." Ash explained, having no plans to go into details that he took down the grunts.

"And the grunts?"

"I managed to keep them busy until Officer Jenny could fetch them." Ash responded, wondering if what Nurse Joy said was true. That something could've happened, the brain's after all very sensitive.

"Think Nurse Joy would allow me to get something to eat? I feel like I'm starving." May suddenly said, followed by her stomach growling.

"I think she's fine with it, she told me that you would've recovered enough by now. But she said that we would need to stay another day, she has to make sure everything's alright." Ash explained, happy to see that May was still her usual self. At least about she had told him.

Having managed to get out of bed, which had been harder than expected for May, they slowly walked to the cafeteria. Sharing her appetite, Ash couldn't wait until he got something to eat. He had left Lucario and Pikachu in the room, they had no reason to come along. And they could eat later anyways. Hoping Nurse Joy's word were true about May's brain not having taken any major damage, Ash would soon be proved wrong.

"You sit down here and I'll get us both something to eat." Ash said, having walked to a table.

"Alright." was the the only thing May said, before sitting down and waiting for Ash. Walking back, Ash took as much food as possible for him and May. Then he saw it, there was some guy standing at the table and talking to May. And he could see in her eyes something he hadn't expected, fear. As soon as May saw Ash, she practically fell into his arms while holding on as tight as she could. Maybe the fall did hurt her brain more than anticipated.

"Leave her alone!" Ash said, knowing what type of person the man was.

"Oh, is she your girlfriend?" the man asked, not intimidated at all by Ash.

"And what if she's?"

"Then I'll show her how a real boyfriend looks like!" the man exclaimed, at those word May whimpered and tried to hide in Ash's arms. Not saying anything, Ash removed one on of his arms from his hold around May and summoned his Aura. Looking up at him, May saw what he was doing and decided to stay where she was. Using his Aura, Ash lifted the man up before he simply sent him through the doors, which luckily were open.

"You jerk! I told you to never show your face here again!" a very angry Nurse Joy shouted, having seen the men crash into the ground in front of her.

"Well, I hope he doesn't show his face here again." Ash said, trying to sooth May down who showed no signs of wanting to leave his embrace. "Hey, let's stay here for the night and then we'll try and reach Petalburg tomorrow."

"Ok." was May's only word, trying to walk while staying in Ash's arms. Proved to be a harder task than she thought.

Having managed to separate, Ash had put May in the bed where she slept for the rest of the day before waking up next day in the morning.

* * *

Looking around she couldn't see Ash, or Lucario or Pikachu in the room.

"I hope she comes down soon, her breakfast isn't going to wait forever." Ash stated to his two companions, who only chuckled.

"Good morning." a rather happy looking May said.

"Morning Princess." Ash responded, not wanting to wake her up. She looked so beautiful as she was sleeping peacefully.

"So, are we going to reach Petalburg today?"

"We should, it isn't that far if I remember correctly."

"Alright, then let's eat!"

* * *

Having walked the last few hours, Ash, May, Pikachu and Lucario had finally reached Petalburg City. It was exactly like Ash remembered, full of life. Even though some things had changed, it was nothing major.

"C'mon, hurry yup!" May exclaimed, starting to run towards the gym and her home.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Ash asked himself, though smiling as he was chasing after May. Not bothering, Lucario continued to walk in his own tempo and let them've their fun.

"Here we're!" May stated proudly as they stood in front of the door. Ringing the bell, they stood waiting outside, hearing sounds that someone was running down the stairs. "You know, I'll got to thank you. You saved me once and I don't know what I would've done without you in the Pokemon Center."

"It was nothing." Ash responded, smiling. Before he could say anything else, May was hugging with all of her strength. Knowing that this time May was actually thinking clearly and not scared of some stranger trying to hit on her, Ash blushed as she let her head rest on his chest.

"May?" a middle aged woman asked, her husband standing right behind her. Quickly separating, Ash and May both blushed heavily and looked away.

"Explain this now May!" the man barked, not liking that she was so close to a complete stranger. That was until he recognized the boy standing outside his house. "Ash?"

* * *

**How good, or horrible for that matter, was it? Did you think I wrote well, or was it plain trash? So, reviews are wanted! And for those who're capable of it, please write longer reviews. Short ones which say it was good, alright. Short ones which say I wrote crap, please don't. I surely enjoy any review that isn't completely pointless, but I want to improve and then I need your help. That's all from me, as said, please review and I'll see you guys next time!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Student and Mentor

**Seriously, sometimes I wonder where my drive goes. Some days I managed to pump out 1k+ words without any problems, while during some days I don't even write. But, I'm making sure of at least publishing one chapter each week. So, this chapter's quite short. No need to worry though, I got way too much time on my hands starting next week. Probably 40 hours of sitting on a train starting from Monday to Saturday. But, it means I can focus and write a long chapter to make up for the short length of this one. Review as usual and welcome to Chapter 2!**

" "** - Speech**

' '** - Thoughts**

_' '_** - Telepathy**

**" " - Pokespeech**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

"Ash?" Norman asked, having needed multiple seconds until he recognized the boy.

"It's good to see you Norman. You too Caroline." Ash greeted both parents, before shoving May a little closer.

"What brings you here?" Caroline asked, still surprised to see the boy that she had met many years ago stand outside her house.

"Well, I was visiting the Professor and met up with May. So, I decided to come with her as far as our paths went together." Ash responded, not planning on mentioning the Professor's 'blackmail'.

"That's great! You might be able to teach her some things!" Norman stated, happy that his daughter had met Ash.

"Teach her? I had mostly planned on travelling, but if you insist and May wants to I see no problem with it." Ash said.

"Well come on in! You're always welcome in our house Ash!" Caroline said, inviting Ash into their house.

* * *

"So Ash, what've you been doing those last years?" Caroline asked, sitting on a couch next to her husband, Ash and May sat on a couch opposite of them.

"I've been training, for the most part and doing some rather interesting things." Ash told, remembering some of the things that had happened between the Sinnoh League and now. Being the Chosen One of Arceus surely didn't help. Being the God of this world didn't seem to matter, especially when facing the likes of Team Galaxy. So, Ash had to do all the work together with his friends. And it all ended with him becoming an Aura Guardian and reviving Lucario.

"Like what?" Norman asked, having caught interest in Ash as soon as they battled.

"Well, I don't think you would believe if I told I've been inside the Tree of Beginning. I also live with a Frontier Brain and my Lucario is older than anyone you know." Ash responded calmly, seeing the shocked surprised expression on everyone's faces. While May was surprised, she had no doubt that he was telling the truth.

"I don't know what to believe, but it settles one thing! We're going to battle right now!" Norman exclaimed, rushing off to the battlefield of the gym. Not knowing what to do, Ash sat there for a while until he remembered. He had promised Norman a battle if they would ever meet again!

"You surely found a great person to travel with." Caroline said to her daughter, who was still looking where Ash had been sitting just a few seconds ago.

"He really's great!" May said, trying to not mention the event where she had hurt her head badly. It had became really evident that something had happened when they were eating in Pokemon Center. Normally she would've just told the guy to leave her alone, but instead she nearly started to cry and just wanted that Ash would protect her. Even during the time when they walked to Petalburg it became obvious, especially when the same thing pretty much happened again. Some random guy started hitting on her and she hid in Ash's arms before he managed to get him to leave. But her mother didn't need to know that.

* * *

"Max, hand me Slaking's poke ball!" Norman said, trying to find Slaking.

"Why? Do you've a challenger?" Max, the son of Norman and Caroline, asked while adjusting his glasses.

"You could say that!" Norman responded, taking the poke ball from Max's hands before finding Slaking and recalling him.

"Can I watch?" Max asked, loving to watch his father battle.

"I don't see any problem with it." Norman said, not waiting for his son.

* * *

"This'll be a 1 on 1 battle between Ash Ketchum and Norman Maple!" the referee announced.

"Alright Ash, but you probably already know who I'll chose!" Norman shouted from his side of the battlefield. "Come on out Slaking!"

"Should I be surprised?" Ash asked, watching as Slaking materialized right before his eyes. "But then you should know as well! I promised you a rematch and you're going to get one. Go Sceptile!"

(**A/N:Start playing the Master Quest theme**)

"I never expected this when you promised me a rematch, but it'll work! Make your move!" Norman stated, wondering how strong the Grovyle he battled many years ago had become.

"Use Leaf Blade!" Ash shouted, following his instincts that Norman would play it safe.

"Show him your Focus Punch, Slaking!" Norman countered, knowing that Slaking could simply overpower Sceptile when it came to raw physical strength.

"Screw it," Ash mumbled to himself, "Cross!" Ash ordered, having used his technique multiple times when Sceptile faced a stronger physical attack. Crossing his blades, Sceptile managed to catch Slaking's Focus Punch with the combined power of his blades.

"Keep going Slaking, he can't hold it for much longer!" Norman encouraged Slaking, who was trying to break Sceptile's defence.

"Use the momentum and jump!" Ash shouted, coming up with the idea on the fly. Pushing Slaking's fist backwards, Sceptile then unexpectedly pulled his arms away before kicking Slaking and jumping up into the air. "Now, give him a Solarbeam!"

"What?!" Max stated from the sidelines, not seeing something like this every day. But Norman was ready, Ash hadn't changed a bit when it came to battling. Especially when it was a challenge. May was watching in awe at Ash, more focusing on him then the actual battle.

"Counter it with Hyper Beam!" Norman screamed, knowing that Sceptile wouldn't need long to charge his Solarbeam. Split seconds later, both beams were fired and heading straight for each other. Seeing that the attacks wouldn't stay there, Ash and Norman quickly covered their faces before the explosion occurred. Covering the entire field in a cloud of dust, everyone coughed while being unable to see anything.

"Use Leaf Storm!" Ash ordered, knowing he had to do something. Either he could use his Aura sight to see and then let Sceptile attack Slaking, or he could simply remove the dust while still hitting Slaking.

"Keep strong Slaking!" Norman shouted, knowing there wasn't much he could do. Slaking had to recover from using Hyper Beam, he couldn't see anything and that meant he could just hope that Sceptile's Leaf Storm wouldn't do that much damage to Slaking.

"Land and use Frenzy Plant!" Ash continued, hoping the fall would increase Sceptile's Frenzy Plant.

"Dodge it!" Norman ordered, hoping Slaking would be able to do it in time. But it was to no avail, Sceptile used the momentum of his fall to increase the power of his Frenzy Plant. Keeping Slaking in place, the only move that would really do anything was Hyper Beam. But the Frenzy Plant was taking its toll on Slaking. He couldn't gather enough energy to use Hyper Beam and at the same time get injured by Frenzy Plant.

"Now, finish with a full power Solarbeam!" Ash shouted, Sceptile's last Solarbeam wasn't fully charged, Taking time, Sceptile started charging up his Solar Beam while making sure that Slaking didn't break free or manage to charge his Hyper Beam. "Fire!"

"Wow. I've never seen Dad take a beating like this, especially in the short amount of time they actually battled." Max stated, never seeing a trainer like Ash.

"He's so strong. I can't believe he was the kid that challenged your father all those years ago." Caroline said to her children.

"Impressive Ash." Norman congratulated, after the Solarbeam knocked out Slaking in a split second.

"You're not too bad for a gym leader." Ash joked, respecting Norman more than most Elite Four. If Norman really wanted he could probably beat any member of the Hoenn Elite Four.

"Ash, would it be possible for you to stay for dinner?" Caroline asked, knowing that Ash preferred travelling then staying in a place for too long.

"Well, I don't have much of a choice do I?" Ash asked, before smiling at May. He had told himself before the event at Oldale that he wouldn't warm up to her that much. But after what had happened, he simply couldn't keep his own word. He would teach her everything he knew, and maybe even show some of the secrets only he knew about.

"That's great! Maybe we can stay here for the rest of the day?" May asked Ash, using her puppy eyes that had worked on so many others person.

"Alright, we'll stay until tomorrow morning. We eat breakfast and then we leave. Ok?" Ash stated, having nothing against staying in the company of the Maples.

"Let's go, I'm going to show you the city!" May exclaimed, taking Ash's hand and pulling him along. Looking backwards, a faint blush could be seen on his cheeks while his eyes were wide open and asking for help from Norman and Caroline. They only laughed and shook their heads while watching them disappear.

* * *

"Oh man. I would've resisted if I would've known that you planned on going shopping." Ash sobbed, remembering all of his trips with Dawn. Even though would never admit it, the shopping with May wasn't even that horrible. He had even bought something for her, mostly because she had grown on him even more.

"t wasn't that horrible you know!" May responded, having put her hands on her hips while pouting. "How about you start teaching me?"

"I'll, but first let's get rid of all the bags." Ash said, having hidden the bag he had bought inside his jacket, carrying some of May's bags.

* * *

"So, where do we start?" May asked, looking expectantly at Ash. She knew quite a bit about Pokemon, but no where close to Ash's knowledge.

"We'll start with the basics." Ash responded, ignoring the look May was giving him.

"The basics? I already know all of them!" May exclaimed, having chosen to learn things before going on her journey.

"You those basics every trainer learns during their journey? I didn't mean them, I mean my basics." Ash explained, this time earning an expression of shock from May.

"That's great!" May said, after getting over the shock. "How'll we start?"

"With battling. You'll battle one of my Pokemon and I won't give it any orders. Come on out, Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur said, looking around and seeing that it wasn't called for a battle.

"You're going to let a grass-type battle my Torchic?" May asked, knowing that grass-types shouldn't stand a chance against fire-types.

"Well, I think that doesn't matter. Especially if you consider that Bulbasaur was one of my original six Pokemon." Ash stated, earning a surprised look from May. That Bulbasaur had been one of Ash's first Pokemon? How strong could it possible be then?

"Alright, let's go Torchic!" May said, throwing the poke ball in the air from which Torchic was released.

"Bulbasaur'll start from the basics, then later on I can tell him to use more and more of his strength. You fine with that?" Ash asked, not having the most experience in actually teaching someone everything he knew.

"Sure, let's go!" May said, all excited about her first training battle.

* * *

"So, you really started teaching May?" Max asked, having been given a massive impression of Ash.

"I did, and went it really well actually. I didn't think it would go that well." Ash told Max, remembering the training session.

"We're really grateful that you're helping May. Even though we're confident in that she could manage alone, it really lets us be at ease knowing that you're with her." Caroline said, having no doubt that May was in good hands.

"It's no problem at all. When I first met May, I didn't really like the idea. I had been on my own for a long time, so why should I travel with someone? But, now I remember why I loved travelling. I met so many friends during my travels, which was more important than anything else." Ash admitted, making a note to call some of his friends during his travels in Hoenn. Especially Brock, he owed him so much. Continuing to eat, they talked about different things. Like Ash's first experience through Hoenn and what he planned to do while he was here now. He really enjoyed being with the Maples, they were great people, especially May. His heart started to beat faster as he was thinking that, and he barely managed to hide a blush rise to his cheeks.

Heading up to the guest room, Ash had just been in the bathroom. He planned on heading out early tomorrow, or he wanted to, but Caroline had insisted on him and May staying and eating breakfast. But, that didn't meant he wouldn't get up early. He needed to start his daily training again, which he hadn't done for a while. Not looking where he was walking, Ash didn't notice May. Having been thinking, May didn't either notice Ash and they walked into each other, which ended with May falling backwards. Seeing what had happened, Ash quickly grabbed May's arm before pulling her back up on her feet.

"I'm really sorry!" May managed to get out, having no success in stopping a blush rising to her cheeks.

"It's alright," Ash responded smiling, "but you better try to sleep now. We got a long day waiting for us."

"Okay, goodnight then." were May's only words before she headed to her room.

'_Slap yourself or I'll do it.' _Lucario said from his poke ball, using telepathy. Slapping himself, Ash quickly lifted his thoughts from May and headed to the guest so he could sleep.

* * *

**Did this short chapter entertain you? I actually forced myself to slow down the romance and keep it at bay, usually I like getting it going early. But this time I didn't. Also, you probably noticed, this'll be somewhat of reimagined Advanced Series but it'll be a lot shorter. So, reviews are wanted so I can make Chapter 3 as good as possible! Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Return of a Rival

**What's this? A new chapter? Yeah, I know, I said I wouldn't post another chapter until Sunday. But hey, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye! The length isn't the greatest, but next chapter will be longer. So, anything special? Not really. Review as usual and I'll see you guys next Sunday! Welcome to Chapter 3!**

**" " - Speech**

**' ' - Thoughts**

**_' '_ - Telepathy**

**_" "_ - Pokespeech**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

"Combusken, use Mega Kick!" May shouted, standing on the battlefield behind Fortree City's Pokemon Center.

"Block it," was Ash's only order, watching as Lucario simply mimicked Combusken's movement and blocked the Mega Kick with his own leg, "now finish him with Aura Sphere."

"Dodge it!" May tried, but it was too late. Quickly summoning the needed Aura, Lucario shot the sphere straight at Combusken who was sent flying before landing fainted on the ground. "You did great Combusken." May praised her Pokemon, before she recalled him.

"That was amazing May!" Ash congratulated May, even though she lost, on her vast improvement since the day they left Petalburg. Having trained everyday, and caught new Pokemon in May's case, she had really come far while Ash stayed in shape.

"Both you and me know why that's. Without your training I would never've been able to get this good." May responded, blushing at the compliment. While May had grown to like Ash more and more, she finally understood that she had a crush on him. So, she tried to give him subtle hints. Obviously, Ash didn't pick up any of them.

"That's not true," Ash countered, having seen May's hints but never understanding them. The only thing he knew was that his heart was beating faster every time. "we both know that you're really good."

"I'm not good, plus I only managed to defeat Winona because of your help." May said, not wanting to take more praise than necessary.

"Hey, why I don't treat you for a dinner and then we head for Lilycove City?" Ash asked, knowing it was pointless to continue the bickering. They knew that Ash was right, but May was too proud to admit that she was a good trainer on her own.

"Alright, let's head back inside then." May said, heading back to the Pokemon Center.

"Hey, who said we would eat there?" Ash asked, surprising May. Having planned this the entire time, Ash had only to wait for the right moment to pop up.

"Are you serious?" May asked, trying to find any signs that Ash was just joking.

"Of course I'm!" Ash exclaimed smiling, before taking her hand and pulling her along to the restaurant he had in mind. Walking in silence, May blushed heavily as Ash was holding her hand. Maybe he wasn't completely dense after all, he wouldn't simply take her to a restaurant when they could simply eat in the Pokemon Center. Having reached the restaurant, May could only stare at the sign above the entrance. It was a famous restaurant chain, one of the most renowned through Hoenn. And it was very expensive.

"Oh Ash! We can't go here, its way too expensive!" May stated, knowing she couldn't pay for a dinner here if she wanted to've some money left.

"The price doesn't matter, eat how much you want. I'll pay for everything." Ash assured her, wanting to treat to the best possible. Not letting her disagree with him, Ash continued to drag her into the restaurant until a waiter greeted them.

"Welcome, your table is right over here." the waiter said, guiding them to a table.

"Did you reserve a table?" May whispered to Ash, pretty sure he had.

"I did, and instead of thinking too much, just enjoy yourself." Ash responded, pulling out May's chair. Blinking a few times, May noticed what Ash had done. Quickly sitting down, May looked away embarrassed because she just stood there.

"Hey, lighten up a little. I only did this so you can've some fun. After all, I put you through training that very few would manage to do." Ash said, hoping she would finally give in and just enjoy the dinner.

"Would you like something to drink while deciding what to order?" the waiter asked politely, smiling at the couple while having overheard their conversation.

"I'll just take a water." Ash said.

"Me too." May added, receiving a nod from the waiter before he walked away to get their orders.

"So, do you know what you want to do now?" Ash asked, having asked May that question multiple times.

"I think I'm going to be a trainer." May responded, really enjoying the thrill of battles.

"That's great, and I'll support you all the way." Ash added smiling.

"Maybe you can tell me some things about yourself." May continued, knowing more than most people about Ash, but not knowing some of his more personal things.

"Alright, but just so you know, you're probably the first person I tell some of these things." Ash confessed, earning a surprised look from May.

"I won't tell them anyone else, unless you allow me to." May promised, earning a weak smile from Ash.

"Do you remember what happened back at the Pokemon Center in Oldale?" Ash asked, himself remembering the events clearly.

"When that creepy guy tried to hit on me?" May asked, since then always enjoying when Ash held her close.

"Yes. Do you remember what happened to him?"

"You threw him out of the door. Wait, but how was that even possible?" May asked, never having thought how Ash did it when he didn't even touch the guy.

"I'm an Aura Guardian." Ash stated calmly, waiting until May would show any sort of reaction. needing a few seconds, May's eyes when widened in surprise.

"You're an Aura Guardian?" May asked, not needing to know that to understand that Ash was special.

"Yes, and my Lucario once belonged to Sir Aaron." Ash continued, having no problems telling May everything. She had really grown on him, he was her teacher and she was his student. He was teaching her everything he knew about Pokemon battling.

* * *

"That was great!" May exclaimed, walking out of the restaurant.

"I told you, but I think it's time we head back. We're going to leave tomorrow morning for Lilycove City." Ash remembered May, having had some delays because she didn't get out of bed.

"Alright, but we're going shopping in Lilycove right?" May asked, knowing Ash wouldn't say no to her request.

"If we've to." Ash responded, sometimes falling back to traits he had gotten through being alone for so long. Standing outside the Pokemon Center, Ash was about to head inside until he noticed that May wasn't following him.

"You coming?" Ash asked, before nearly getting tackled to the ground by May.

"Thank you so much for today!" May shouted into his chest, before he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"It was my pleasure." Ash said smiling, not letting her go as she tried to wiggle herself out of his arms. Simply stronking her hair, May eventually stopped trying to escape from his arms. Standing there, embraced in a hug, both thought about each other. But, sadly, either one dared to make a move. Ash because he was too unsecure, and May because she didn't even know if Ash felt the same. Everything he did could be called romantic, but not when talking about Ash.

"Let's go!" May said, pulling Ash with her into the Pokemon Center, quickly getting the key from Nurse Joy, before heading to their room.

* * *

Laying down on the bed, while waiting for May to get out of the bathroom, all of his thoughts circulated around her. Why did he actually ask her out and tell her so much about himself? Did he actually like her more than a friend? Those thoughts were way too heavy for him, so Ash simply decided to drop them and think more about it tomorrow.

"Hurry up May!" Ash shouted, wanting to sleep so they could reach Lilycove City in a reasonable amount of time.

"Hey, no need to shout!" May exclaimed, having just opened the door before closing it again. Saying nothing, May walked to the bed before she lied down next to Ash.

"Goodnight May."

"Goodnight Ash." May responded, deciding to be a little bold and snuggled closer to Ash. Getting no signs that he didn't enjoy it, May laid her head on Ash's chest before falling sleep.

"May?" Ash asked after a few minutes, but received no response. Seemed like she was asleep, but Ash decided to not wake her up. After all, it was quite comfortable.

* * *

"Come on May, we don't have all the time in the world!" Ash shouted, waiting for May outside the room. Having shared a big breakfast, or a standard one in their case, Ash was now waiting for May to get ready so they could start heading towards Lilycove City.

"Why're you in such a hurry?" May asked, not looking at Ash while walking towards the exit of the Pokemon Center.

"I want to find Steven, and to my knowledge he'll be in Mossdeep City for the next few days." Ash explained, knowing how much Steven loved exploring. Especially when he managed to find some interesting stones.

* * *

"So, who do you think you're to stand up against Team Magma?!" a serious looking man asked, staring at a young man with a black coat.

"The name's Gary Oak!" Gary responded, fully aware that his situation wasn't the best he had been in yet. Electivire was still standing, even though over 50 Pokemon had probably attacked him. And it looked like they had more Pokemon. "Alright Electivire, Thunderbolt!"

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Ash asked, not having walked far since they left Fortree City. Looking around, Ash tried to find the direction from which the voice had come from.

_**"****Pika!"**_ Pikachu shouted, pointing towards a forest.

"Let's see what's going on!" Ash said, not waiting for May.

* * *

"You put up a valuable fight, but it wasn't good enough it seems. Well then, prepare to die!" Maxie ordered, watching as the Pokemon got closer to Gary and Electivire.

'Can't believe this's the end.' Gary thought, having lasted another good 20 minutes before Electivire started to show signs of weakness. Maxie's Crobat was slowly forming a Shadow Ball in it's mouth, seconds later the Shadow Ball was fired.

"Pikachu, block the Shadow Ball with Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, seeing what was going on. Running as fast as he could, Pikachu jumped in the air with his tail glowing, slamming his tail into the Shadow Ball. Creating an explosion, Gary took the chance where Ash was standing before both ran away.

"Damn it! Where did they go?!" Maxie shouted angry, but decided to not look for them. It would just be a waste of time.

"That was close. Thanks for helping me." Gary said, thanking Ash, but not thinking about who he was talking with.

"What's the famous Pokemon Researcher Gary Oak doing here?" Ash asked, having understood that Gary hadn't recognized him yet. Hearing those words, Gary looked straight at Ash before his eyes widened in realisation.

"Ash?!" Gary exclaimed, not having seen him for many years.

"The one and only." Ash smiled, before holding out his hand. Not hesitating for a moment, Gary took the hand and shook it.

"We've a lot of talking to do." Gary stated, before looking at May.

"We sure do. This's May Maple, daughter of the Petalburg City gym leader." Ash said, seeing that Gary looked at May.

"Nice to meet you." May greeted him politely.

"Well, I heard you've been alone for the last few years. Why're you then travelling with someone?" Gary asked, noticing a very weak blush on Ash's face.

"I got my reasons." Ash responded, knowing that Gary had noticed it.

"Before we go anywhere though, there's one thing I want to do. I challenge you to a 1 on 1 battle!"

* * *

"So, do you want a rematch from last time?" Gary teased, remembering the battle they had before Ash went to Sinnoh.

"You're on! Let's go Pikachu!" Ash responded smiling, Pikachu jumping down in front of Ash, full of excitement.

"Show him how it's done Electivire!" Gary said, having healed Electivire at Fortree City's Pokemon Center.

"Pikachu use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered, Pikachu running towards Electivire with his Iron Tail ready.

"You too Electivire!" Gary countered, Electivire's tail clashing with Pikachu's.

"Quick Attack!" Ash quickly shouted, watching as Pikachu stopped using Iron Tail. Tumbling at the sudden stop of pressure, Pikachu quickly hit Electivire with all of his power.

"Electivire, use Thunderbolt!" Gary ordered, seeing that Electivire had no chance against Pikachu when it came to speed.

"Show him a real Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, fully aware that Pikachu would win. Clashing in the air, Electivire's Thunderbolt was pushed back before an explosion was created. "Give him another Iron Tail!"

"Counter it with Thunder Punch!" Gary ordered, hoping Electivire would see Pikachu in time. He did, and took all of his power and punched Pikachu's tail, Having gotten into a stalemate, Pikachu quickly dropped the pressure. Falling down, the clash having taken place in the air, the two Pokemon stared at each other.

"For a Pokemon Researcher you're still doing well. But not well enough! Finish it with Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted, having learnt from last time.

"Jump up in the air and use Protect!" Gary countered, a big grin visible over his entire face.

"_**PikaPikaPikaPikaPikaPIKA!" **_Pikachu shouted, only being a yellow blur which was flying towards Electivire. Colliding with Electivire, the second explosion of the battle was created. Gary, who had been grinning, had now a worried look on his face. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The smoke having cleared, Pikachu was still standing while Electivire had fainted.

"You did it, Pikachu!" Ash cheered, catching Pikachu as he jumped into Ash's arms.

"Incredible." Gary mumbled, recalling his fainted Electivire.

"Great battle!" Ash exclaimed, having walked over to Gary's side.

"I should be the one saying that. How did you manage to knock out Electivire with Volt Tackle?" Gary asked, not knowing how that even was possible.

"Do you really want to know?" Ash asked, receiving a nod from Gary. Meanwhile, May watched in awe before she stared at Ash. Her heart started beating even faster than it did before. For each day, her love for Ash was growing. But when would she tell him?

* * *

**Did I do the battle justice? I hope I did even though the length's sub par. I originally planned on cutting the chapter before the battle, but decided against it. Why? I'm not going to write two battles in one chapter, especially considering that the next battle will be longer than this one. Team Magma, and Team Aqua, won't have the biggest role. But they'll get some epic scenes, later. Also, Gary's age is the same as Ash. So, now I got pretty much 40+ hours of time to write the next chapter. And I got to write it for hand. Will my hand survive? You'll find out next Sunday. So, please review and then I'll see you next Sunday!**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Princess' Fire

**It has been quite a while, hasn't it? Last Monday, I left and travelled all the way to north Sweden with my class. And it was great! But, not wanting to disappoint anyone, I wrote on this chapter during the combined 40 hours of travelling. And it was a nightmare. I wrote 1800 words for hand, and as I finished writing them it felt like my hand had died. But hey, it was worth it! Another simple battle, a reunion between friends and a cliffhanger at the end. But, we all know how it ends, so I would say it isn't a cliffhanger. As usual, please review so I can improve and to keep my drive to write going. So, without further ado, welcome to Chapter 4!**

" "** - Speech**

' '** - Thoughts**

**_' ' _- Telepathy**

**" " - Pokespeech**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

"You mean that you simply pushed your Pokemon harder than before?" Gary questioned, surprised by the simplicity after having heard Ash's answer.

"Pretty much." Ash responded nodding, knowing that it was hard to believe that it was that simple. He didn't really understand it himself, especially if you compare him and now back during the Sinnoh League. Walking ahead of them was May, excitedly looking for new Pokemon to catch.

"How did someone like you, end up with someone like her?" Gary asked, not understanding how Ash and May were travelling together. Especially if you saw how close they acted, they didn't even bother showing that they enjoyed each other's company.

"Would you believe me if I told you I was blackmailed into letting her travel with me?" Ash tried, knowing how unbelievable it sounded.

"Blackmailed?" Gary inquired.

"I met May back at Prof. Birch's lab, where she received her first Pokemon. But the Professor didn't want to register me for the Hoenn League if I didn't take May with me. And to make sure I didn't simply leave, he made sure that only he could register me." Ash explained, seeing Gary's surprised expression.

"Birch did that?" Gary grinned, happy that his plan had worked. He had known that Ash had been alone long, too long. So he called Prof. Birch as Ms. Ketchum told him that Ash would go to Hoenn. But Ash would hopefully never find out. Silence surrounding them, the two friends continued walking until a thought popped into Ash's mind.

"Hey Gary, have you ever heard of Mega Evolutions?" Ash asked, pretty sure that Gary had.

"Yeah, what about them?" Gary continued, not knowing where this was going. Then he noticed that Ash was holding some sort of stone.

"Then this might interest you." Ash answered, before throwing a stone into the air. Catching it, Gary stared at the light blue stone. Then he noticed it, the symbol inside the stone. He couldn't believe it. He was holding a Mega Stone!

"You got to be kidding me!" Gary exclaimed, staring at the Mega Stone in saw. Mega Stones only existed in Kalos and because Kalos didn't have very much contact with the other regions, the stones were pretty much non-existent outside of Kalos.

"I suppose you're fine with having one, right?" Ash smiled. Just staring at him, Gary quickly pulled in Ash for a tight hug. Normally he would never do it, but when you're one of the few people in the world to hold a Mega Stone, but this time it didn't matter. Being his oldest friend, Ash simply replied Gary's hug. Letting go after a few seconds, Gary hold out his hand. Looking at it, Ash simply took Gary's hand and shook it.

"Maybe we can work together when it comes to my research." Gary stated, not knowing how much he could research with all of Ash's travelling.

"Will do. I'm looking forward to our coöperation." Ash responded smiling, tightening the hand shake.

"No way!" Ash and Gary heard, looking up to see May gasp. In front of her was an Absol. Just by looking at it, May knew that the Absol was far stronger than average. It had a big scar over its left eye. Recognizing the pokeballs on May's belt, Absol took a fighting stance. Getting the sign, May pulled one of her pokeball's from her belt.

"Let's go Combusken!" May shouted, throwing Combusken's pokeball into the air. Seeing Absol, Combusken mirrored its fighting stance before waiting for a command for his trainer. "Use Ember!" May ordered, Combusken releasing the attack from his beak. Dodging the attack, Absol charged forwards with its horn glowing.

"Parry that Slash with Mega Kick!" May quickly shouted, Combusken's leg glowing blue while Absol's horn was glowing white. Clashing, the two attacks forced the Pokemon into a deadlock, both stared at each other. Neither giving in, they continued to try and overpower the other. "Use Peck!" May tried, hoping it would work. Removing his leg, Combusken sidestepped which sent Absol tumbling forwards. Taking his chance, Combusken took all of his power and hit Absol from behind with Peck. "Now finish it with Ember!" May ordered, watching as Combusken released the attack from his beak. Hitting Absol directly, the Pokemon didn't falter though. Turning around, it was facing Combusken. Looking at Combusken, Absol then did something it had never done. It bowed before May, wanting to be captured even if it wasn't defeated in battle. Taking a pokeball, May looked at Absol. Before she throw it though, Absol walked up to her and used its horn to trigger the capturing. Absorbed into the pokeball, the capture took less than a second.

"Impressive." Gary stated, knowing that Pokemon usually didn't show that much respect to humans unless they were captured already.

"It happened again." Ash said, remembering as May had caught a wild Bagon. Being the leader of some wild Pokemon, May challenged it to a battle. Even though she didn't win, the Bagon did in the end let May capture him. If Pokemon showed her this much respect, and loved her that much in the case of her captured Pokemon, why couldn't he? Now he had just to find a good moment to tell her how he was feeling.

"C'mon you two!" May shouted, who was already walking again towards Lilycove City. Not wasting any time, Ash and Gary quickly started to walk faster so they could catch up with May.

* * *

"Wow.." May said, staring at the massive city of Lilycove in awe.

"It's great, isn't it?" Gary asked, always enjoying being in Lilycove.

"Sure is!" May responded happily, before taking off and leaving the boys in her dust.

"Wait for us!" Ash exclaimed, having to sprint in order to not lose her. Shaking his head, Gary also started sprinting, wondering what had gotten into them.

* * *

Running through the city, and not paying any real attention to what was in front of her, May didn't notice when two persons came around a corner. Crashing right into them, one of them managed to jumped to the side. The other person didn't get so lucky and fell to the ground with May on top. Having caught, Ash and Gary looked surprised as they what had happened. Lying on the ground was one of Ash's best friends. And standing next to him was Hoenn's Champion.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" May apologised, quickly getting off the man on the ground before helping him up.

"No harm done." the man responded, before he noticed Ash and Gary.

"No way!" Ash exclaimed, before walking up to Brock.

"Ash?" Brock asked surprised, not expecting to meet him here. Instead of thinking any further, Brock hugged Ash after not having seen him for many years. Watching with entertainment were Gary and Steven, Hoenn's Champion.

"Well hello, Brocko." Gary greeted the Pokemon Doctor, before holding out his hand. Releasing Ash from the hug, Brock took Gary's hand and shook it.

"It's great to see you too, Gary!" Brock greeted back. Watching, May understood that Brock was one of Ash's old travelling companions. Looking at Steven, it took a while before May recognized him. Then a weird idea popped into May's head. An idea on how she could impress Ash!

"Excuse me Mr. Stone," May started, earning Steven's attention. "Would you possibly've the time to've a battle with me?" May asked. Everyone looked at her with wide opened eyes, until Steven responded.

"If you insist I won't say no. But be warned, I won't go easy on you." Steven stated, before heading over to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"This's a 1 on 1 battle between Steven Stone and May Maple!" Brock announced, taking the role of the referee for the match. Everyone was silent, waiting for the two trainers to release their Pokemon. Staring at May, Ash wondered what had gone through her mind as she challenged Steven. But, the most important thing, he was really impressed. Considering she was pretty much a rookie trainer, she still dared to challenge Steven. Ash didn't think he would've had the guts to it if he had gotten the chance. Then he actually looked at May, and couldn't take his eyes off of her. He had never really thought about it. Sure, he had thought she was good-looking, but now he could only describe her as beautiful.

"Alright Metagross, let's show her how a Champion battles!" Steven declared, throwing a pokeball into the air. Having noticed that Ash was staring at her, a deep red blush formed on May's face. Quickly shaking her head, May took a pokeball from her belt and released Combusken.

"Metagross vs Combusken, begin!" Brock shouted.

"Combusken, show them that you're no pushover! Ember!" May shouted, not even knowing how strong Metagross would be. Closing the distance, Combusken opened his beak and released the Ember attack. Metagross simply watched, not even wincing as it felt the heat hit him directly on his face.

"Well, I don't think I should've expected more. Metagross, slam Combusken into the ground with Psychic!" Steven ordered calmly, Metagross surrounding Combusken with a blue glow and lifting him up into the air. Waiting a few seconds, Metagross then forcefully slammed Combusken into the ground.

"You can do it Combusken!" May cheered, knowing that Combusken wouldn't give up that easily. Standing up, Combusken glared at Metagross with anger in his eyes. Seeing the look, Metagross started to regret doing anything.

"Psychic again!" Steven continued, impressed that Combusken was still standing. Repeating the process, Metagross this time slammed Combusken into the ground multiple times. Slamming Combusken one more time, a white light above them went unnoticed, Metagross stopped using Psychic and looked at Combusken.

"_**I won't give up!" **_Combusken roared, only Metagross understanding him. Hearing the words, Metagross actually trembled a little, the power behind was unmistakable.

"Finish it with-" Steven started, but stopped his sentence abruptly as Combusken's body was cloaked in a white light. Growing taller, gaining muscles and growing hair. It was all part of Combusken's evolution into Blaziken. "I'm impressed, but it won't change a thing. Finish it with Hyper Beam!" Steven ordered, not expecting a Pokemon that only had been trained for a few months to still be standing. The white light above them slowly lowered itself, still going unnoticed. Firing the attack, everyone watched in horror as May didn't give any order that Blaziken should dodge.

"Use Blaze Shield!" May shouted smiling, pumping her fist into the air. Stretching his arms, Blaziken released the flames on his wrist and coated himself in a red light. Everyone knew what was happening, Blaziken had activated his Blaze ability. Crossing his arms, Blaziken extended the flames on his wrists before the Hyper Beam hit him. Colliding, flames flew off to the sides and everyone saw that Blaziken resisted the massive pressure from Metagross's Hyper Beam. Then, he did the unthinkable. Blaziken slowly pushed the Hyper Beam back, stopping the attack completely. Steven stared in horror at Blaziken. A Pokemon that pretty much belonged to a rookie trainer had just stopped Metagross's Hyper Beam. Ash looked at May in awe, he couldn't believe how strong she was as a trainer!

"Alright Blaziken, let's show him how it's done!" May exclaimed, but before she could issue any further command, her attention was required elsewhere. Looking up, everyone saw the white light slowly lower itself until it was in May's hand. Stopping to glow, May could now see that she was holding a stone. Never having seen anything like it, May still for some reason knew what to do. "Here we go! Mega Evolution now!" May shouted, holding up her newly acquired Mega Stone.

"Impossible!" Steven shouted, never having heard of a Mega Stone simply 'falling' from the sky. Undergoing a second evolution, and a growth of power, Blaziken once again changed his appearance. Now, standing before them, was a true warrior. May didn't know what to say, especially as she was feeling all the power that was radiating from Blaziken.

They wanted to finish it, so we give them a finish! Show them your Flamethrower!" May ordered, already knowing all of Blaziken's new attacks.

"Stop the flames with Psychic!" Steven quickly countered, never losing his calm in a battle.

"ExtremeSpeed into Blaze Kick!" May continued, not giving Steven and Metagross a second to rest. Stopping the flames, Metagross had no chance to stop Blaziken. Appearing above him, Blaziken quickly slammed his burning foot onto Metagross head who yelled in pain with his telepathy. "Now Overheat!" May relentless continued, wanting to prove everyone that she was a strong trainer. But most importantly, she wanted to impress Ash. With their close proximity, Steven couldn't order Metagross to dodge and using Psychic wouldn't help either. So, he did the only thing that he could do. He watched Metagross getting hit by an Overheat, with a power he had never seen before, and slowly starting to falter.

"I've never seen such power before!" Gary exclaimed, clearly impressed by May and Blaziken.

"Well, you'll be surprised when you see me battle." Ash stated cooly, earning a surprised look from Gary.

* * *

_**"****Do you think it was the right choice to give her such power, Father?" **_Rayquaza asked, having watched over May since she had been born.

_**"****I've no regrets, especially now that's travelling with the Chosen One." **_Arceus answered calmly, before he continued to watch the battle with interest.

* * *

"Let's end this! Rapid fire Blast Burn!" May shouted excited, never having this pumped during a battle. Shocked by her command, Steven stared at Blaziken in horror. Releasing his first Blast Burn, it was followed by 9 more with one second between them. Hitting Metagross, a massive cloud of smoke covered the battle, which left everyone coughing and unable to see the result.

"Stay strong Metagross!" Steven shouted, hoping his Pokemon was still standing.

* * *

**Was it bad? If you say yes, you'll regret it. After all I wrote 1500 of those words for hand. Next chapter we'll find out how the battle ended, if it isn't obvious, but we'll also've our final battle for a while. So, review as usual and I'll see you guys next time!**


	5. Chapter 5 - A Guardian's battle

**Here we're, the halfway point of this story! I've actually really enjoyed writing it, and I think this's how _Journey of the loving ones _should've gone all along. Now, one important thing I wanted to know. Would you like another Advanceshipping story after, or would you like something completely different? Tell me in your review! Welcome to Chapter 5!**

" "** - Speech**

' '** - Thoughts**

**_" " _- Pokespeech**

_' '_ **- Telepathy**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

"Metagross is unable to battle! The winners're May and Blaziken!" Brock declared, seeing that Metagross had fainted after the smoke had cleared.

"May, you left me speechless. I can't say I've had a battle like this for ages." Steven said, having recalled Metagross and shaking May's hand. No one could really believe what had just happened. Metagross had been defeated by a rookie Pokemon that had only been trained for a few months and May had gotten a Mega Stone from out of nowhere.

"Hey Steven, are you game for another battle once Metagross has recovered?" Ash asked, being all excited after seeing May's and Steven's battle. He was even more impressed with May's performance, if she kept up like this she could easily defeat Steven in a full 6 on 6 battle in another few months.

"Well, if you insist on it. But consider that I won't go easy on you either, especially if you know what Pokemon you'll use." Steven responded, already heading inside the Pokemon Center to get Metagross healed up. Doing the same, May handed Blaziken's pokeball to Nurse Joy and waited for them to've recovered.

"Here you go! I got to say I'm surprised at how fast they recovered!" Nurse Joy stated, rarely seeing Pokemon recover that fast.

"Alright Ash, I'm all set for our battle." Steven announced, holding Metagross' pokeball and walking back out.

* * *

"This'll be a 1 on 1 battle between Ash Ketchum and Steven Stone! Send out your Pokemon!" Brock shouted, repeating his role as the referee.

"You know my call, let's go Metagross!" Steven declared, wondering how strong Ash really was if he had managed to beat Lance and tie with Cynthia's Garchomp.

"Prepare yourself Steven, because only one of us will be left standing! Stand your ground, Charizard!" Ash shouted, releasing his strongest Pokemon and knocking everyone besides Steven down. Steven's eyes widened in horror as he saw Charizard. So that was the Pokemon who nearly defeated Cynthia's Garchomp? Roaring, a massive shockwave was produced, May, Gary and Brock nearly got knocked off their feet again. "I'm not done yet!" Ash announced, showing everyone the stone he was holding in his right hand. "Mega Evolution now!" Ash screamed, holding the Mega Stone up high before producing a white light from it. Enveloping Charizard in it, everyone gasped at the sight enfolding right before their eyes. Having turned black, Charizard now sported blue flames and no one doubted his power.

"Is this the power that Cynthia talked about? The power that dwelled inside Charizard but was never released?" Steven asked himself, feeling all the power that radiated from Charizard. Before he could continue his thought process, blue flames came from Charizard's mouth and raced towards Metagross. "Stop them with Psychic!"

"Break through, Charizard!" Ash encouraged, having seen that the flames were slowed down. But in less than a second, the flames hit Metagross who already looked a lot weaker. And that was only from one attack, a basic fire attack.

"Use Hyper Beam!" Steven shouted, knowing that he had little time before Charizard would simply run over Metagross. Expecting a serious look from Ash, instead he saw a big grin on his face.

"Show him your Overheat!" Ash countered, earning gasps from everyone as they watched Charizard charge up his attack. Firing, the attacks clashed and tried to overpower each other. But it quickly became clear who was stronger, Charizard's Overheat teared through Metagross' Hyper Beam and hit him head on.

"Metagross!" Steven shouted worried, knowing that the attack hurt Metagross a lot.

"Now finish it with Blast Burn!" Ash ordered, not wanting to give Steven any chance to fight back. Opening his mouth, everyone could see as Charizard gathered the flames needed for Blast Burn. The size, grew considerably and it was much larger than your average Blast Burn. "Fire!" Ash shouted, a grin plastered over his enter face as he finished the short battle with the Hoenn Champion. Hitting Metagross, a repeat of last battle occurred and smoke covered the entire field.

"Metagross is unable to battle! The winners're Ash and Charizard!" Brock decided, shocked at his friend's power.

"I've never been beaten this badly, and now I understand how you managed to defeat Lance and tie with Cynthia's Garchomp. You didn't even use Charizard's Mega Evolution against Cynthia, did you?" Steven asked, staring at Metagross' pokeball. The second time this day, Metagross had been beaten badly and this time his opponent's Pikemon didn't even take damage!

"Don't see it so harsh Steven, I've trained for this for a very long time." Ash admitted, remembering all the hard training he had gone through with his Pokemon in order to even get close to a Champion's level. And then all the training to be able to even beat them in a battle. It had been a long journey, but now he had pretty much defeated all the Champions and he had found his very own Princess. Did he just call May "his Princess"? Quickly turning around, Ash managed to hide his blush before anyone could notice it. Except May, who caught a quick glimpse of Ash's blush. Why had he blushed? She hadn't done anything right? Or had he thought something? She would ask him later, and maybe even tell him some things. Maybe having her very own Guardian wasn't that bad after all. Did she really think that? What she didn't know, was that Ash had pretty much the exact same.

"So, what do you think of coming with me to Mossdeep City tomorrow?" Steven asked, standing outside the Pokemon Center.

"What do you think, May?" Ash asked, himself having nothing against it.

"Sure, but before that we'll go shopping!" May exclaimed, already having taken Ash's hand and pulling him to the Department Store.

"Poor guy.." Brock sighed, shaking his head and remembering all the other girls Ash had travelled with.

"You think he'll be alright?" Gary asked, earning a nod from Brock. "So, what do we do now?"

"Enjoy yourselves, then we'll meet tomorrow at the docks. Alright?" Steven asked, Brock and Gary giving him a 'yes' before heading off somewhere.

* * *

"So, how do you like this?" Ash heard a voice coming from the changing room, his eyes going wide as he stared. Wearing a similar outfit to before **(she was wearing her Emerald outfit before, now she wears her AG outfit), **this time she was wearing a red sleeveless vest and black biker shorts. On top, she was now wearing a red bandana with a white pokeball on it.

"Uh, you look great!" Ash managed to say, before blushing heavily as multiple thoughts crossed his mind.

"Well, thank you!" May responded sweetly, smiling at Ash before changing back. The moment she smiled at him, Ash's heart melt. He knew what he had to do, and know he knew exactly what his heart was telling him. Walking out of the shop, after May had paid, the two friends stood outside in silence, both thinking of what to say or do.

"Hey May, what about we go eat somewhere together?" Ash asked, watching the sky and seeing that it was dark.

* * *

"That was great!" May exclaimed, holding Ash's hand after they left the restaurant. Having changed into her new clothes, which made Ash stare at her, Ash had meanwhile found what he bought back in Petalburg. It was a gold necklace, holding sapphire which had a Torchic engraved on it. He hoped May would like it, and that it would give him the confidence to tell her what his heart was also telling him. Staring at the water, a full moon gracing their presence, Ash and May stood close while Ash had an arm over May's shoulder.

"May, there's something I need to tell you." Ash started, hoping he wasn't ruining their young friendship.

"Yeah?" May responded, still looking out at the water. Pulling out the necklace, which caught May's attention, Ash looked right her into eyes. He quickly put it around her neck, before she could react. "Ash!"

"May, I don't know what to tell you. But I know what my heart's saying. May, I-" Ash tried to confess, but May put a finger on his lips while smiling.

"Just say it Ash and yes, I want you to be my Guardian." May said for him, somehow having read his mind, blushing heavily as she said that she wanted Ash to be her Guardian. After all, he was an Aura Guardian. Which meant that he could be her Guardian, right?

"If I'm going to be your Guardian, you're going to be my Princess." Ash responded, May's blush only deepening at his words. Just staring at each other, May decided to make the frist move. Pushing her self on her toes, May closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Ash's. Surprised by May's actions, Ash eventually melted into the kiss and pulled May closer. Putting his hand on her waist, May wrapped her arms around his neck before they put all their passion into their first kiss. Having loved each other for quite a while, but afraid to tell the other, now their emotions were exploding. Happiness clouded their minds, breaking the kiss, Ash and May smiled at each other before May buried her head in Ash's chest and hugged him as tight as possible.

"I love you May." Ash confessed, knowing their was turning back after the kiss and when he told May she's going to be his Princess. And now he also was her Guardian.

"I love you too." May responded, planting her lips lightly on Ash's again before separating. Taking May's hand, Ash and May started walking along the water, staring at it and enjoying the closeness.

"Do you think we should tell the others?" Ash asked, knowing that he wouldn't tell the others.

"Why should we? The only problem'll be keeping our hands off each other." May said smiling, wondering how hard it would be now that they had started it.

"We'll try our best. So, how about a midnight Pokemon battle?" Ash asked, still not being the most romantic person out there.

"You're on! Let's go Blaziken!" May started, releasing her newly evolved starter Pokemon.

"Alright then, if you want a battle of starters then we'll have one! Show her how a real starter battles, Pikachu!" Ash said, waiting for Pikachu to leave his shoulder.

_**"****Do you want me to give it my all?" **_Pikachu asked, not knowing if Ash wanted him to beat Blaziken badly.

"There's no holding back!" Ash stated, feeling his heart beating faster as he looked at May and Blaziken.

"Flamethrower!"

"Thunderbolt!"

* * *

"That surely was an exciting battle." Ash said, holding May's hand while they walked through the corridors of the Pokemon Center.

"I would've never thought that Pikachu would be that strong!" May exclaimed, even though she saw Pikachu battle Electivire. Opening the door, Ash walked in backwards while May had wrapped her arms around his neck and was planting soft pisses on his lips.

"You think it we'll less awkward if we share bed this time?" Ash asked with a grin on his face, earning him a light push from May before she took off her clothes. Only wearing her underwear, May waited for Ash to say anything but he was too busy looking at her. Instead of saying anything, at all for that matter, Ash took of his own clothes before he picked up May and put her right on the bed. Turning off lights, Ash lay down next to May.

"Good night May."

"Good night Ash." May responded, laying her head on Ash's chest before falling asleep.

* * *

"When'll we obtain the Red and Blue orbs?" Maxie asked, patience not being his biggest strength.

"We'll get them soon. But this time we'll not fail." Archie responded, being the calmer of the two leaders.

"I hope you're right. Last time our plan was flawed, and our separate goals were simple. Now that we're working together and aiming for a bigger goal, we can't fail!" Maxie stated, feeling confident in their success.

"Grunt, prepare the obtainment of the Red and Blue orbs!" Archie ordered one of his grunts.

* * *

_**"****Rayquaza, you must forgive me. I can't interfere in human actions, even if they're a risk for one of us." **_Arceus stated, depressed over what he had seen.

_**"****Then there's only one thing to do. Believe in the Chosen One and the Princess of Hoenn." **_Rayquaza responded solemnly.

* * *

**Finally I got Ash and May together. I hope you didn't think the entire scene was weird or anything. So, as you probably noticed in the end, the next few chapters'll focus quite heavily on the villains and their plan. Also, as I asked earlier, would you like another Advanceshipping story or something completely different? Tell me in your review and I'll see you guys next time!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Legends obtained

**This has probably been the longest time between an update where I haven't had a reason. But here it's. Now, I already asked this last chapter but I'm going to ask it every time until this story's finished. Would you like my next story to be Advanceshipping or something else (won't tell)? Tell me in your reviews, I hope you post one! Welcome to Chapter 6!**

" "** - Speech**

' '** - Thoughts**

**_" "_ - Pokespeech**

_' '** - Telepathy**_

**Displayer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

"So this's Mossdeep?" May asked, looking around the island.

"It's, and while not the biggest in Hoenn it still attracts quite a lot of attention." Steven responded, waiting for the others to leave the ship. While on the ship, Ash and May had shared a room, which meant that no one could see them. So, in order to make up for the lack of closeness when they were with the others they were all over each other. Having left some hickeys on May's neck, May had found out that Mossdeep was quite cold during this part of the year so she had managed to find a scarf that would cover her neck.

"Someone, stop them!" a voice was heard shouting, coming from the direction of the Space Center. Running out of the building was a massive group of Team Magma grunts, having failed to breach the security system that stopped someone from using one of the rockets located in the Space Center. Before anyone could react, an Aura Sphere came flying which knocked, what looked to be, the leader down.

"Where did that Aura Sphere come from?!" May asked, only having seen the actual sphere.

"I've no idea." Brock responded, Gary was still surprised and Steven was in deep thought. Ash though was grinning, only one person would've done that.

"Don't let them escape!" a voice Ash knew all too well ordered. Standing right of the Magma group was an Aura Guardian, one of the few that were left in the world.

"Lucario, give them a hand!" Ash said, not needing to do anything for Lucario to come out of his ball. "Lucario, Aura Sphere! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered, watching as his two most trusted companions released their attacks multiple times before all the grunts were lying on the ground and wincing in pain.

"I see you haven't slacked of a single bit." the voice said, belong to a man who had been recognized as an Aura Guardian.

"You're not doing that bad either." Ash responded smiling, looking at his old mentor. The man who had taught him the ways of an Aura Guardian.

"Would care to introduce us?" Steven now interfered, having watched long enough as the two Aura Guardians were chatting.

"This's Riley, an Aura Guardian hailing from Sinnoh. He also once was my mentor, having teached me in the ways of the Aura Guardians." Ash introduced Riley, earning a few surprised looks.

"And what would an Aura Guardian from Sinnoh be doing here in Hoenn?" Steven questioned, earning a weak smile from Riley.

"I'm here because the League asked for my help, they thought one Aura Guardian and a Champion weren't enough to stop them. But hey, I get to see more of the world while doing something useful." Riley enlightened them, earning a chuckle from Ash.

"Well, if you want to help I've to make sure you're still good enough." Ash stated grinning, Riley's eyes widening as he understood the meaning.

"You want to battle me?" Riley asked, hoping he would be wrong.

"Correct. But I'm not going to battle you alone. We're going to've a tag battle. You and Steven against me and May." Ash explained, having wanted to've a tag battle with May for quite a while.

"I'm in, what about you?" Riley asked Steven, receiving a nod before they went off to look for a battlefield. Instead of using the battlefield behind the Pokemon Center, they decided to use a part of the beach. Standing on opposing sides, Ash didn't need a second to think. Standing next to him was his Lucario, after all it was a battle between Guardians. Deciding to not take any risks, May called Blaziken while Steven called out Metagross. Thinking the same as Ash, Riley and Lucario were standing on their side.

"This's a tag battle between Ash Ketchum, May Maple and Steven Stone and Aura Guardian Riley!" Brock declared, just doing what he had been doing for the last two battles.

"Do we've a plan?" May whispered to Ash, managing to give a peck on the cheek without anyone noticing it.

"Not really, think you can handle Steven's Metagross?" Ash whispered, holding back a blush.

"I think so. Got any ideas for some teamwork?"

"I do, but we won't probably need them." Ash explained, simply because the idea wasn't the most pain free for Lucario.

"Begin!" Brock suddenly exclaimed, deciding that everyone had enough time to prepare.

"Blaze Kick on Metagross!" May ordered, hoping Ash would keep Riley's Lucario busy.

"Bone Rush!" Ash followed up, not needing to tell Lucario who he needed to attack.

"Stop the flames with Psychic!" Steven countered, having no plans on underestimating May's Blaziken. Slowing down the flames, Metagross this time actually managed to stop them completely after a few more seconds passed.

"Blaze Kick!" May quickly adapted, Blaziken getting close to Metagross who was still focusing on the flames. Having managed to stop the Bone Rush, Riley's Lucario quickly shifted his attention to Blaziken.

"Block it with Aura Sphere!" Riley shouted, not noticing what Ash's Lucario was doing. Using the Aura Sphere, Lucario blocked Blaziken's Blaze Kick but ended up getting hit.

"Force Palm!" Ash ordered, seeing an opening were neither Metagross or Lucario could do something. Lifting his paw, Lucario quickly slammed it into the other Lucario's back.

"Overheat!" May commanded, Blaziken releasing the attack. Having not been careful, Metagross took the attack head on and grunted in pain. "Now send him flying! Sky Uppercut!"

"Not gonna happen! Hyper Beam!" Steven desperately tried, hoping it would be enough to stop Blaziken. Dodging the attack, Blaziken used his massive strength and managed to lift Metagross off the ground and send him flying.

"There's your chance! Aura Sphere into Force Palm!" Ash followed up, relying on May to stop Riley. Shooting the sphere, Lucario wasted no time in following. Charging up the attack, Lucario positioned himself above Metagross before sending him crashing into the ground.

"Fire Blast!" May shouted, Riley's Lucario trying to get in a hit. Overwhelming the Aura Sphere, a direct hit was scored and sent Riley's Lucario tumbling until he landed next to Steven's Metagross.

"Hey May, want to turn it up a notch?" Ash asked grinning, already holding something in his hand.

"You're on!" May responded, having pulled out her Mega Stone out of her pocket.

"Mega Evolution now!" they shouted in unison, holding up their Mega Stones and releasing a white light from both of them

"He has another Mega Stone?!" Steven exclaimed surprised, not expecting he would've one. Especially when his Charizard already was that strong.

"I never thought he would've one. But, he truly's the strongest Aura Guardian in existence." Riley stated calmly, not fearing the outcome of the battle.

"Ready?"

"Ready! rapid-fire Blast Burn!" May ordered without hesitation, Steven's eyes widening in horror. Metagross had taken a beating, and didn't really have the energy to move away.

"Try and stop it with Hyper Beam!" Steven shouted, hoping it would be enough.

"Show them your Aura Storm!" Ash suddenly ordered, surprising everyone again. Preparing an Aura Sphere, but instead of firing a sphere Lucario released a massive beam of pure Aura Energy which was heading straight for Riley's Lucario.

"Shoot Aura Spheres!" Riley quickly said, hoping it would slow down the attack at least somewhat. But both attacks didn't even slow down as they were heading for their two opponents. Engulfed by the Aura Storm, Riley's Lucario crossed his arms and summoned a barrier to get some form of protection against the powerful attack. Metagross' Hyper Beam did nothing, the Blast Burns simply going through and hammered on Metagross who took all the hits with pride. When everything was said and done, there was no doubt that Ash and May had won. Metagross and Riley's Lucario were still standing, but looked like they would collapse any second from now.

"The winners're Lucario and Blaziken!" Brock stated, deciding that they had won even if their opponents still stood up. Managing to think, May resisted the urge to hug Ash and simply shook his hand instead. Seeing what May was doing, Ash understood that May was holding back.

"That was a great battle!" Ash exclaimed, smiling all over his face as he and May walked over to Steven and Riley.

"No doubt, you've surpassed me." Riley responded, shaking Ash's hand. He had taught him everything he knew, and with that he had been surpassed. Steven simply nodded his head, shaking both hands.

'They'll go far.' Steven thought, before the silence was interrupted by a yellow rodent.

"_**You were totally awesome! You're a great couple!"**_ Pikachu simply said, Ash and May having told Pikachu, and Lucario, that they were a couple. Jumping onto May's shoulder, May petted Pikachu behind the ear who cooed in response. Lucario was meanwhile talking to Riley's Lucario, Riley talking to Steven.

"Do you think he'll beat _him_? Riley asked Steven, himself believing in it somewhat.

"I don't know. But I do know that he'll push _him _to his limits." Steven stated, his hopes high that Ash would win the league.

* * *

_**"****Father, is it really time to grant them this power?"**_ Rayquaza asked warily, not thinking it was a good idea.

_**"****Yes, they're both ready. I'll call them right now." **_ Arceus responded, focusing his energy.

* * *

"Hey, what's happening?!" May suddenly exclaimed, surrounded by a white light. Looking at his own body, Ash saw that he also was surrounded by the light. Not having any time to stop it, Ash and May teleported away in the blink of an eye.

"Well, damn." Gary simply said, knowing there was nothing to do but wait.

* * *

'_Welcome Chosen One and Princess of Hoenn.'_ Arceus greeted Ash and May after he teleported them to the Hall of Origin. Looking around, Ash only smiled as he saw the God of their world while May was shocked. Not only was she in a mystical place, but also was she standing in front of God himself.

"Do you need any help, Arceus?" Ash asked, as if he was talking to anybody.

'_No, but thank you for your care Chosen One. There's another reason why I called you here.' _Arceus explained. Materializing in the Hall were now Groudon and Kyogre, who had summoned a pool so she could be in the Hall.

'_Greetings my Children.'_ Arceus said to his Children, using telepathy so Ash and May could understand him.

'_Father, why did you call us?' _Kyogre asked, resting in her pool while Groudon stood next to her.

'_Ah yes. I've decided that you're going to serve a trainer.' _Arceus stated, not surprised as Groudon started to get angry at the words. That's, until he noticed Ash and May.

'_They're going to be our trainers?' _Groudon asked incredulously, not believing that he would ever serve a trainer. But if he had to, the Chosen One and the Princess of Hoenn were the only ones he would serve.

'_Yes, they'll be your trainers. May will your trainer, and Ash'll be Kyogre's.'_ Arceus said, focusing on creating two pokeballs. Sending them to Ash and May, a dark blue and dark red pokeball, which they would use to capture Groudon and Kyogre. Throwing the pokeballs, the capture process was instant and no resistance. Floating back into their hands, Ash looked at the pokeball while May was sharing at her's. She had captured a legendary Pokemon!

"Thank you Arceus, we're honored to battle alongside Groudon and Kyogre." Ash interrupted the silence, releasing Kyogre from her pokeball. May did the same and released Groudon.

'_Groudon and Kyogre won't stay in there pokeballs, but'll be somewhere in your world. Whenever you would release them they'll be teleported your location. But now it's time for you to return. Goodbye Chosen One. Goodbye Princess.' _ Arceus finished, before teleporting Ash and May back to Mossdeep City.

* * *

"So, with this machine we'll be able to attract Rayquaza's attention without having Groudon and Kyogre battle?" Maxie asked, remembering last time.

"My scientists said that with the Blue and Red Orb, this machine'll replicate Groudon and Kyogre's battle. Then Rayquaza'll appear and we'll capture him." Archie explained, not wanting to wait for that to happen.

* * *

"Hey, look!" Gary exclaimed, a white light materializing. Standing exactly where they had before were Ash and May.

"Where did you two suddenly disappear too?" Brock asked, not too surprised. Especially after all the adventures he had shared with Ash.

"Well, we met Arceus." Ash explained simply, everyone besides Brock shocked.

* * *

**So, there we go. Slowly working towards something bigger. Was it wrong to give Ash and May legendaries? Also, can you guess who _he _is? Review, and answer the question. Then I'll see you guys next time!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Calm before the storm

**Finally I finished this. I'm really sorry that it took this long, besides me working on another story. So, did all the wait off? I don't know, you'll have to find out for yourself. Hope you enjoy that little scene I added in the end, you're going to find out what I've planned for it at the end. Review as usual and welcome to Chapter 7!**

" "** - Speech**

' '** - Thoughts**

**_" "_ - Pokespeech**

_' '_** - Telepathy**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

"You met Arceus?!" Gary shouted, Brock already having met Arceus while in Sinnoh. Riley looked surprised, Steven in deep thought.

"We did. But I don't even know why really. There was nothing wrong and nothing he need our help for." Ash explained.

"The almighty Arceus didn't ask you of a favor?" Brock joked, Steven and Riley chuckling at the joke.

"You shouldn't be joking about him you know, he might make one of your nightmares turn real." Ash countered, Steven and Riley continuing to enjoy the jokes being thrown back and forth.

"So, what do we do now?" May asked, having managed to put away her newly obtained pokeball without anyone noticing it.

"We enjoy ourselves, or attend to business, until we leave for Sootopolis before we head for Evergrande City." Steven said, heading off somewhere.

"I'm off, it looks like I need to practice if I want to keep up with Ash." Riley stated, his Lucario following him as they looked for a place where they could train.

"How about we explore the Space Center, Brock?" Gary asked, never having actually been inside.

"Sounds interesting." Brock responded, he and Gary heading to the Space Center.

"So, what do we do?" Ash wondered, hoping May had an idea.

"How about battling?"

"You're on!"

* * *

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered, in the middle of battling against May.

"Blaze Kick!" May countered, hoping the fire attack would be stronger than the steel attack.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash suddenly shouted, using the short distance between them to pretty much stop any chances of dodging or blocking the attack.

_**"****Piiiiikachu!" **_Pikachu shouted, releasing the Thunderbolt upon Blaziken who winced in pain before he tumbled backwards and feel on his knee.

"Great work, Pikachu!" Ash praised, scratching Pikachu behind his ear as he took his place on Ash's shoulder.

_**"****Thanks!"**_ Pikachu cooed, enjoying Ash's touch.

"Return, Blaziken." May said somewhat sad, still not happy that Blaziken couldn't match Pikachu.

"There you're!" a voice exclaimed, coming from behind May. Turning around, Steven, Riley, Brock and Gary were heading towards them.

"It's time to head for the ferry." Brock stated, guessing that Ash and May had a battle.

"You can head over there, we're coming in a few minutes," Ash told them, waiting for them to leave before he turned his attention to May, "Why're you disappointed that you lost?"

"Even with all the training I still can't beat you." May sighed, Ash pulling her closer.

"Of course you can't beat me yet. But that's why I'm battling you, so you eventually get better than me." Ash explained, hugging May and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"But it feels like I'm not getting better." May said, resting her head on Ash's chest with a sad expression donning her face.

"Not getting better? You defeated Steven, we defeated Steven AND Riley together and Arceus let you command Groudon in battle." Ash stated, not wanting her to believe in any way that she wasn't a good trainer. After all, how many trainers had done that in less than a year already?

"You really think I'm a good trainer?" May asked, staring in Ash's auburn eyes.

"You're one of the best I know, you could probably even win the league once you get enough experience through all the gym battles." Ash responded, smiling down before he lightly planted his lips on May's. Feeling that tenderness in the kiss, May decided to simply kiss him back instead of putting more passion into it. It wasn't really needed, the soft kiss didn't need anymore to show their feelings for each other.

"Hey, let's head for the ferry before the others start looking for us." May said, having broken the kiss and dragging Ash along. After a few minutes they reached the ferry, letting go of each other's hands before they were in eye sight of the others.

"It took you long enough." Gary pointed out, maybe not being the most patient person ever.

"Does it matter? We didn't miss the ferry did we?" Ash countered, still sharing a rivalry with Gary.

"Stop bickering, let's board the ferry." Steven interrupted them, handing each one a ticket.

"Me and May've to share a room?!" Ash acted annoyed.

"You got any problem with that?!" May responded, acting along.

"Stop being on each other's throats. I don't think you would like to share a room with anyone of us, would you?" Riley asked, getting both to shut up, "Good, now let's head to our rooms before we meet on the deck."

* * *

"How long do think they'll give us, before they come looking?" May asked, Ash holding her very close to him.

"Long enough." Ash responded, pressing his lips against May's, this time with more force behind it. Opening her mouth, May let Ash's tongue enter her's and nearly moaned as she felt Ash's tongue swirl around inside her mouth.

"We better hurry." May said, having broken away from the kiss while looking into Ash's eyes.

"Alright, but we'll continue once we get back." Ash demanded, walking to the door and waiting for May to leave the room. Putting his arm around her waist, Ash held her close as he could without in some way hindering their ability to walk. Separating, Ash and May walked onto the deck, surprised to be the first there.

"I some how expected us to be last." May stated, looking around to make sure they weren't jacking with them.

"Same, but who're we to complain?" Ash asked, thinking of something to say when the others came.

"True, let's wait then." May said, leaning over the railing and staring at the ocean and all the Pokemon that were swimming in the blue water.

"I'm shocked!" Gary exclaimed, making it sound like the world was ending because Ash and May were there before them.

"I didn't expect you to be here already." Steven said, also looking at all the different Pokemon in the ocean.

"How about we get something to eat?" Brock asked, even though he wasn't the oldest in the group anymore, he still went by that role. Who knew how responsible a Champion could be? Growling in unison, everyone stared at Ash and May who look away in embarrassment.

"Seems like someone's hungry" Gary teased, heading off before Ash would try something on him. After all, he was an Aura Guardian and you don't want to anger an Aura Guardian. Hurrying after him, they found him standing outside the onboard restaurant. Entering, they were greeted by a waiter who guided them a round table, made for 6, and handed them a menu each. Coming back, the waiter took their orders. Everyone took something smaller, except Ash and May. They had decided to share the meat plate, which was probably made for 4 people and not 2. Sometimes, Ash and May managed to hold their hands under the table without anyone noticing, something they couldn't else while they were in the company of the others. They had, not for a long time, to tell the others that they were together. The only ones who knew were Pikachu and Lucario, who had picked it up from Ash's mind while they were talking.

"So when does the Evergrande Conference start?" May asked, not knowing that much of the Pokemon League, she wasn't competing in it anyway so she didn't really need to know.

"It starts in 2 weeks, and our overconfident, self-proclaimed winner is already sitting here, right?" Steven said, earning a glare from Ash.

"I never said that, but how many trainers out there could possible compete with me?" Ash countered, earning a nod from Brock and Gary.

"I would know of one." Riley said, everyone looking surprised.

"If Ash has beaten Steven and Lance, and tied with Cynthia, who could possible be a challenge for him?" Gary questioned, not thinking there would be anyone in the world who could possibly challenge Ash.

"There's only one, maybe 2 if one of them actually decides on battling again." Steven said, wondering how good the old man would still be. He had been a Champion in his young days, maybe even stronger than _him_.

"So, you expect me to breeze the conference and then run against a wall during the finals?" Ash asked, wondering who that trainer could possibly be.

"Yes. You won't get crushed, but he'll actually challenge you more than anyone has ever done." Steven explained, hoping _he_ would still be good enough. After he had told _him _of Ash, _his _interest had really spiked and he had started training with Cynthia to make sure _he_ had still the skill he had before he retired.

"Hey Ash, how about we've another battle?" Gary wondered, not really getting a chance to analyze Pikachu before Electivire got knocked out.

"Sure, let's go!" Ash said, always getting pumped if he was about to battle. Heading outside, there was a battlefield on the ferry, Ash and Gary had already taken their places before the others came.

"Do you need a ref?" Brock asked, both shaking their head.

"Let's go, Electivire!" Gary shouted, throwing the pokeball in the air.

"Show him who's the best, Pikachu!" Ash started, before Gary gave the first order.

"Thunderbolt!" Gary quickly commanded, remembering how it went last time.

"Counter it with your own Thunderbolt." Ash ordered, planning to show how strong Pikachu really was. Colliding, Pikachu quickly stopped the attack so he didn't exhaust or hurt Electivire.

"Get close and use Brick Break!" Gary followed up, hoping he could somehow weaken Pikachu at least.

"Finish it. Return!" Ash shouted, everyone mind blown as they heard Ash's command.

"You've got to kidding, right?" Gary asked, not even wanting to know how strong Return was when used by Ash's Pikachu. Charging up a small energy ball on his tail, Pikachu flicked it at Electivire who fainted instantly as the attack touched him.

"Wow." was Steven's only word, the attack not even hitting Electivire for second before he fainted.

"I wonder if any Pokemon could stand up to that attack longer than a few seconds." Riley said, mostly to himself. May didn't even want to think about how well their Legendaries would stand up to that attack, they probably wouldn't faint, but how much would it actually hurt them?

"Well, that was fast." Gary stated, recalling Electivire.

"Did you expect anything else from Pikachu?" Ash asked. Could you expect something else when a Pokemon that had been with you for 8 years and was your best friend and used Return?

"I don't know what you're planning on doing, but I'm heading back to the room." Steven said, Riley deciding to join him.

"What about you, Gary?" Brock asked.

"How about we also go back to our room?" Gary inquired, Brock nodding at the suggestion.

"Don't stay up to long!" Brock shouted to Ash and May before he left them.

"If everyone is heading back to their room, shouldn't we do that too?" May wondered, waiting for Ash to say something.

"If you want to." Ash responded, taking May's hand while walking back to their room together. Entering their room, Ash somehow felt like something was going to happen tomorrow, decided that they should sleep. Heading into the bathroom, May looked surprised at him.

"We're going to sleep already?" May questioned, used to stay awake longer.

"Just a gut feeling that we're going to need it" Ash explained.

"Okay then." May said, not bothering to wash herself and only took of her clothes which left her in only her underwear. Lying down on the bed, May crawled under the sheets while waiting for Ash to join her. Having taken a liking to it, May rested her head on Ash's chest. She knew that he also enjoyed it.

"Goodnight." Ash said, but got no response as May had fallen asleep rather quickly.

* * *

"You've no right to use _her_ Pokemon!" Ash shouted, staring at the man who was dressed like a Blaziken.

"I wish I could tell you the truth, I really do, but I can't." the masked man responded sadly, before giving the Blaziken an order.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Ash asked angrily, the masked man starting to leave.

"I hope that one day I can tell you the truth and that we could be on good terms again. I'm really sorry for all the pain you've been inflicted, and I know there's nothing that may ever make up for it." the man said, looking at Ash one last time before he disappeared.

* * *

Sitting up straight, May sighed in relief. Everything had just been a dream. Glancing at the clock, May saw that it was still rather early. Looking at Ash, she decided to let him sleep, he looked rather cute while asleep. She would give him another, then he would wake up if he wanted or not.

* * *

**Was the wait really worth it? I hope so. Now for the dream, I mostly added it just because. Tell me what you thought about it, because it's mostly going to my next big project. So please review and I'll see you guys next time!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Legendary Clash

**Here we go, the final chapter before we start the Evergrande Conference. I didn't have a battle in this, even though I could, because I think it would've been too tedious to write. I'm going to take a little break, working on another story, before I'm going to release Chapter 9. Review as usual and welcome to Chapter 8!**

" "** - Speech**

' '** - Thoughts**

**_" "_ - Pokespeech**

_' '** - Telepathy**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

"Good morning sleppyhead." a voice greeted Ash, who had still his eyes closed. Opening his eyes, he stared straight into the sapphire eyes of his beautiful girlfriend.

"Morning." Ash greeted back, trying to sit up so he could give his girlfriend a quick peck. Managing to, he leant closer and put a peck on her lips before pulling away.

"Going to come out of bed, or you're going to sit there all day?" May teased him, giving him a cute look before walking away, "I'll be waiting outside the room. If you're not outside in 5 minutes, I'll come in and get you. Understood?"

"Yes!" Ash quickly responded, not sure if it would be a good or bad thing if he wasn't outside the room in 5 minutes.

* * *

Having rushed into the bathroom, Ash was now standing outside with May tapping her foot into the ground.

"You're a minute late." May stated calmly, Ash wondering if she would make real of her threat.

"Uh, sorry?" Ash tried, hoping it would work. Having guessed correctly, May gave him a kiss on the cheek before she headed to find something to eat for break and maybe meet the others.

"You coming?" May asked while walking, Ash forgetting that he should follow her. Catch up to her, Ash took May's hand before she could do anything and held it until they entered the ship's cafeteria.

"Should we share, or do you want your own plate?" Ash questioned, always liking to share his food with May.

"We're a couple, so of course we share!" May exclaimed happy, walking to the tray where all the food was. Taking a plate, Ash and May took turn choosing what they wanted until they had enough for both of them.

"Hey, there's Brock!" Ash noticed, pointing at a table where Brock was sitting alone and eating.

"Morning you two." Brock greeted them, waiting before saying anything else until they were sitting.

"Morning Brock. Isn't anyone else up yet?" May wondered, expecting someone like Riley to maybe be up earlier.

"Riley should be, he told me he be doing some mediation." Brock explained, not feeling the need to explain why Gary wasn't up. Or Steven for that matter.

"I never got to ask you, but why're you even here?" Ash questioned, having no idea why Brock would be in Lilycove City.

"I don't really know, it was just a gut feeling that I should be there," Brock explained, never having given it more thought, "But, when're you going to tell everyone about it?"

"Tell everyone about what?" Ash asked, not sure what Brock was meaning while for May it dawned what Brock was asking.

"We're not going to tell them anytime soon!" May answered.

"Can you at least admit in front of me?"

"Alright, we're me and Ash're a couple." May confessed, hoping she wouldn't regret telling Brock.

"You won't regret it." Ash chimed in, as if he could read May's mind.

"So, are we going to eat or not?" May teased, having taken one of Ash's favorite muffins.

"Oh, you're going to regret that!" Ash said, not happy at all.

* * *

"So, did the mission proceed without any problems?" Maxie asked, Archie sitting next to him while they questioned the highest ranked grunts that were part of the mission.

"Yes. Guarding the two orbs was an old couple, who didn't stop us. They knew there was nothing they could do, so instead of risking their lives they let us take the orbs without any form of resistance." the Aqua grunt explained, the Maga grunt nodding to confirm it.

"Is the machine ready?" Archie questioned their top researcher, standing next to the machine.

"Yes. Once we place the orbs it'll take an hour before the machine starts working. But once it stops, it'll summon Rayquaza in less than a minute. And with the power from the Red and Blue orbs it'll go into an uncontrollable rampage and no one'll be able to stop it." the researcher said absently, forgetting an important detail.

"But if it goes on a rampage, it won't be able to serve us!" Maxie exclaimed angry, not wanting to destroy the entire word.

"Ah yes, I forgot. If you bring the orbs in its presence it'll calm down and be forced to follow your every order, even if it doesn't want to." the researcher added, not wanting to end up floating in the water without any help. Even less, he wanted to end up in a pool full of magma and burn to death.

"Perfect. Place the orbs immediately in the machine to summon Rayquaza." Archie ordered, waiting before the researcher placed the orbs in the machine.

"I'm going to bring it outside to speed up its work." the researcher said, rolling the machine out of the room.

"Soon we'll control the entire world, and there's nothing the Pokemon League can do about it." Maxie chuckled, enjoying every second before he would rule the world together with Archie.

"But this time there're no meddling kids to stop us." Archie added smiling, not knowing how wrong he was.

"We'll start in Sootopolis City." Maxie stated, having managed to find out that Steven was on a ship heading there.

* * *

"Attention all passengers! We'll be docking in Sootopolis City in a few minutes! Me, and the crew, hope you enjoyed the trip and we would love to see you again! Have a pleasant day!" the captain announced over the speakers, Ash, May, Brock and the others now watching as Sootopolis got closer and closer.

"It was a long time since I obtained my 8th gym badge for the Evergrande Conference here." Ash remembered.

"It was great being here in Hoenn, besides the Team Magma and Team Aqua incident." Brock added, Steven frowning as he heard that.

"You were here during the incident?" Steven asked, not sure what to think about it.

"Yes, together with Lsnce we managed stop them." Ash replied, Steven looking surprised now.

"I know Lance was here, but he never me that you helped him." Steven said, but why should he be surprised? One of the strongest he had me who also was an Aura Guardian had saved the world. Should he expect any less?

"We just did what we had to do." Ash admitted, remembering how he thought that it hadn't a big deal really.

"So, who're you going to use for the Evergrande Conference?" Gary asked, changing the subject completely.

"Pikachu, Lucario and Charizard for sure. Then I might switch around my remaining three Pokemon." Ash explained, earning a nod from everyone.

"And which Pokemon'll you switch around between?" May continued, wanting to know what Pokemon Ash might've.

"I thought about using Snorlax, Glalie, Staraptor, Torterra, Donphan and Totodile." Ash decided, hoping Totodile had really taken his training with Buizel seriously. Maybe Gary's Blastoise could help him out if needed.

"Wow, that're so many great Pokemon!" May squealed, "How many do you've?"

"Well," Ash said, counting on his fingers, "50 I think, 30 of them are my Tauros."

"You got many Pokemon?!" Steven exclaimed, surprised for someone to've that many Pokemon and still train them and use them all.

"How about we head to the Pokemon Center, get our rooms and then head out to explore the city?" Brock asked, seeing no point in standing in one place.

"Alright, let's go!" Gary responded, leading the way to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"That was a great dinner!" May said, happy over being able to eat such good food. Everyone agreed besides Ash, who was watching the clouded sky.

"Hey Ash, what's wrong?" Brock questioned his friend, wondering what went through his mind.

"Something's wrong for sure." Ash responded, watching the sky carefully before he found something. Flying high up in the sky was Rayquaza, looming over the city of Sootopolis. Suddenly, Lucario popped out of his pokeball, Riley's Lucario doing the same. Having much better senses than humans, both felt that something was going really wrong.

"Why would Rayquaza suddenly appear here?" Gary asked, having studied everything there was about the Legendaries that could be studied.

"Look, over there!" Steven shouted, pointing at a red and a blue clothed man.

"Is it really them?!" Brock exclaimed, recognizing them without a second doubt.

"Looks like it, and I think they might be the reason Rayquaza's here." Ash added, nearly running towards their position.

"Rayquaza, use Hyper Beam on the city!" Maxie ordered, extremely satisfied that the machine was working perfectly.

"Rayquaza, stop!" Ash shouted, seeing that Rayquaza was aiming for the city. Hearing it, Rayquaza looked down of Ash which for a split second allowed him to stop the attack.

"What?! You meddling kid!" Archie shouted, having spotted Ash.

"We need to do something!" Brock stated, not really having any Pokemon that could do anything against Rayquaza.

"Me and May'll take it from here, you've to take care of Maxie and Archie. Lucario, you'll go with them and follow Riley's orders. Understood?" Ash commanded, Lucario giving him a nod. Rushing to Maxie and Archie's locations, multiple white lights emerged and revealed several Pokemon. 2 Lucarios, a Metagross, a Steelix and suddenly a Mega Evolved Blastoise.

"You ready for this?" May asked Ash, already holding a pokeball in her hand.

"I've never been more ready." Ash responded, also holding the special made pokeball in his hand. Throwing their pokeballs into the air, nothing came out. Slowly, the ground started shaking and a pool of water rose from the ground in which Kyogre appeared. Standing next to her was Groudon, looking at Rayquaza angrily. Remembering the event that had taken place not too long ago, Rayquaza wasn't happy to fight his siblings. But, there was a reason why Arceus had given them to those two trainers.

"I don't want to fight you Rayquaza, but there's no other way!" Ash shouted, Kyogre and Groudon getting ready.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Ash looked around cautiously. Why was he laying on a bed? What had happened after their battle? Had Maxie and Archie been defeated?  
"Ash, you're awake!" a voice exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

"Hey, everything's alright May." Ash tried to assure her, seeing that she had been very worried.

"Do you remember what happened?" May asked, stroking Ash's head softly.

"We battled Rayquaza together with Kyogre and Groudon. Did we win?" Ash questioned, really hoping they did.

"We didn't defeat Rayquaza, but the others defeated Maxie and Archie and managed to stop the machine from controlling Rayquaza." May explained.

"That's a relief, but where're the others?" Ash wondered, looking around and not seeing anyone besides May being in the room.

"They're downstairs, waiting for us." May responded smiling, holding out her hand for Ash to take. Taking it Ash, instead of simply standing, pulled May into his arms and planted his lips against her. separating rather quickly, much to May's annoyance they together walked down the stairs where they found everyone sitting in the cafeteria waiting for them.

"If it isn't the hero himself." Steven joked, Riley chuckling at the joke.

"It's good to see that you're finally up." Brock said, having been somewhat worried about his friend. But if he knew one thing, it was that nothing would keep Ash down.

"Thanks Brock. So, what happened to Maxie and Archie?" Ash asked, not knowing what happened to them.

"They got arrested, and probably won't see daylight for the rest of their lives." Gary stated, having seen Officer Jenny arresting them.

"That's good to hear, but what do you say about us getting something to eat. It's already time for dinner." Ash exclaimed, his stomach growling as he said that.

"I'll pay. It's the least I can do for someone who saved Hoenn." Steven said, heading outside to find a good restaurant.

* * *

"I would've never thought I would be doing something like when we first met." May said, lying in the bed next to Ash, having returned to the Pokemon Center after dinner.

"Well, I didn't either think many of the things that've happened during my journey would've happened when I left Pallet Town." Ash responded smiling, understanding May completely.

"We better sleep now, the Evergrande Conference starts tomorrow." May finished the conversation, giving Ash a peck on the cheek before turning away and closing her eyes.

"Goodnight May."

"Goodnight Ash."

* * *

"So you truly believe in Team Plasma's ideals?!" Ash asked angrily, not understanding how anyone could do that.

"No, but they're paying well." the masked man responded, his Blaziken standing next to him.

"You're a monster!" Ash screamed, unable to believe it. As Ash called him a monster, the masked man felt a sting in his heart. It really hurt him that Ash called him a monster.

"Think what you want, but unless you know the truth you shoudn't judge. Also now has the time come where I take my leave." the masked man said.

"I won't allow that! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered, Pikachu firing a Thunderbolt at the masked man. Grunting, the man fell down on his knee.

"You idiot-" the man started, but immediately stopped as he heard that his voice belonged to a female. Ash didn't know what to think. It couldn't be _her_ voice, she was dead!

"Ash, stop him!" Iris shouted from behind, not knowing why Ash wasn't stopping him. Having managed to get something out of his pocket, the masked man threw it into the ground. Releasing smoke, the masked man took his before Ash's friends could stop him.

"Why didn't you stop him?!" Iris screamed at Ash, unable to believe that Ash didn't show an attempt to stop the man. Ash didn't even bother to respond walking away with an expression that could only be described as extreme sadness.

* * *

**Done! Yes, I know that I could've written an epic battle between the Legendaries. But I didn't. Once again I added a dream at the end, this Ash'll have it. I'll spell it out in the story next time. Note, I simply let Ash've the dream for more possibilities. Review and I'll see you guys next time!**


	9. Chapter 9 - League Final assured

**Oh man, it has been a while, hasn't it? I'm really sorry for not having updated this long, and there's really no excuse. I simply haven't managed to get something done. But, finally I managed to complete Chapter 9. Originally I planned having two 6 on 6 battles in this story, but changed my mind and removed both. Instead, they'll be in my next story. This chapter is heavily battle focused, if you enjoy them tell me about it. If you don't tell me about it as well in your review! So, without further ado, welcome to Chapter 9!**

" "** - Speech**

_' '** - Thoughts**_

**" " - Pokespeech**

**_' '_ - Telepathy**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

"Wake up, you moron!" May screamed, punching Ash in the chest. Not having the effect May had wanted, she instead pushed Ash out of the bed until he fell down on the floor with a loud thud.

"Can't you let me sleep for a few more minutes?" Ash asked, not sure if there was even a point in asking.

"No! Your semifinal begins in 30 minutes!" May stated, patiently waiting for Ash to get off the ground.

"Well… damn it!" Ash shouted, his brain eventually processing May's words. After reaching Evegrande, Ash had gone through the entire conference without any challenge at all. Only two trainers besides him had so far shown any real promise. But both of them weren't named and only used two Pokemon to decimate the competition. Rushing into the bathroom, Ash quickly cleaned himself up and put his clothes on before he took May's hand and pulled her along on his way down to the cafeteria.

"Stop pulling!" May managed to get out, running while getting dragged along not being the easiest thing to do.

"No time!" Ash responded, still not letting go of May's hand even when he was placing his food on his plate. Taking it, Ash finally let go of May's hand as he sat down at a table and shoved the food down his throat without paying any attention to May.

"You know, I'm still here." May made Ash remember, who looked at her and flashed his signature smile which made her heart melt. Looking down at his food, Ash decided that he was done before he focused on May again.

"So, are you excited for my battle today?" Ash asked, while thinking through his plan and what he knew about his opponent's two Pokemon. Even though he had defeated Champions, his opponent was nothing to laugh at. Ash would at least put him on the level of an Elite. If he would win, which he expected, he would face someone even stronger. Someone maybe even stronger than a Champion.

"Of course! I mean, have I ever really seen you battle?" May responded, not remembering a single instance where Ash used more than 2 Pokemon in a battle. But she would've to wait to see a full battle.

"True, then I hope that you're going to enjoy the battle." Ash said, before walking over to May and planting a soft kiss on her lips. Following Ash with her eyes as he headed towards the waiting room, May eventually went for the lounge Steven had gotten for them. Entering, May's focus immediately went to the mysterious trainer who already had advanced to the finals.

"Just who are you?" May questioned, getting interested especially when Steven had invited him.

"That shouldn't be a worry you should have." the cloaked man responded, Steven just shaking his head at the man's antics.

"The match's about to begin." Steven said, not wanting to listen to May questioning the man about his identity any more.

* * *

"And now, it's time to welcome our participants! On the red side, we got Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" the announcer started, the crowd exploding into cheers as Ash entered the field. "On the green side, we have Paul from Veilstone City!" the announcer finished, introducing the unknown trainer until now. Hearing the name, Ash's eyes widened a little in surprise before he started smiling as he saw Paul.

"I didn't expect to ever meet you again on a battlefield." Ash greeted Paul, nearly grinning as he looked at Paul.

"And I didn't expect you to reach top 4 in a League again." Paul responded, a weak smile on his face.

"This'll be a 3 on 3 battle, substitutions are allowed." the referee explained, receiving a nod from both trainers. "Send out your Pokemon!"

"Are you ready for this?" Ash asked, not sure what to expect from Paul after all these years.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, you're probably the better trainer. But that doesn't mean I will hold back! Go, Drapion!" Paul shouted, throwing a pokeball into the air. Looking at his own pokeball, Ash wondered if this would be a good choice.

"Prepare yourself, Staraptor! Ash exclaimed, releasing Staraptor.

"Staraptor vs Drapion, begin!" the referee stated, pulling down both his flags. If Paul had continued training, that Drapion would not be a pushover. It had taken down 3 Pokemon in a row back in the Sinnoh League.

"Toxic Spikes!" Paul ordered, snapping Ash out of his thoughts. Staraptor, not forgetting last time, took off. But instead of stopping Drapion continued placing the spikes all over the field.

"Return!" Paul suddenly called, before recalling Drapion. Ash should've expected it. Paul simply used Drapion to cripple most of Ash's Pokemon. "Stand by for battle!" Paul announced as Aggron materialized on the field and roared to signal his presence. Well, there was all hope gone that Staraptor maybe would get a matchup where he didn't have a disadvantage.

"Brave Bird!" Ash shouted, really needing to get rid of Paul's Aggron without revealing any of his other Pokemon. But as strong as Aggron was, Staraptor had a technique where even the strongest defence would falter.

"Metal Sound!" Paul ordered, Aggron releasing a piercing sound. Still heading for Aggron, everyone could noticeably see the minor slowdown of Staraptor. "Thunder Punch!"

"Get out of there!" Ash tried, but to no avail. Colliding directly with Aggron's powered up fist, a battle of dominance ensured. "Close Combat! Ash instead commanded, knowing the Thunder Punch would very likely hit Staraptor hard. Thinking heavily, Ash started searching for a spot in Aggron's armor which he could exploit.

"Flash Cannon!" Paul shouted, Staraptor seemingly managing to stop Aggron's Thunder Punch from connecting.

"Dodge it!" Ash responded out of pure habit while still looking for a spot. That's it! Right under Aggron's chin, above his chest was a small spot that wasn't covered in armor. He really wanted to get rid of Aggron, but he neither wanted to reveal any of his other Pokemon but also not wanting to show of Staraptor's new technique. "Staraptor, use Phoenix Crash!" Ash screamed, knowing how risky but at the same time powerful his new move was. Making a U-turn, Staraptor's entire body was soon covered by flames as he aimed straight at Aggron.

"Earthquake, then Flash Cannon." Paul commanded, surprising everyone watching. Using Earthquake, Aggron changed the field even more. Stones, pieces of metal sticking out of the ground and rifts appearing all over the ground. Getting hit by the Flash Cannon, and going through immense pain thanks to it, Staraptor didn't waver though. Like a Phoenix, Starpator soared straight at Aggron before he hit him, all the while flying through the Flash Cannon. As soon as Staraptor hit Aggron, the combined energy of the two attacks created an explosion.

"Staraptor and Aggron are unable to battle!" the referee announced. Recalling their Pokemon, Ash and Paul looked at each other. The meaning was clear. This battle was far from over.

* * *

"Do you still think he won't be a challenge?" Steven asked the cloaked man, who had been watching the battle intensely while drawing conclusions about the Pokemon Ash preferred and used.

"He won a massive uphill battle, which's impressive. But also his trust in his Pokemon and their trust in him are remarkable. Using a move like Phoenix Crash, using it without hesitation and even coming up with the actual idea, shows the deep bond he shares with his Pokemon." the cloaked man responded, convinced that Ash was good but still not sure if he could challenge him.

"Sceptile vs Drapion, begin!" the referee announced after a 2 minute break, giving Ash and Paul time to thinking through their choice and plan. Judging the field, Ash was trying to think of a way to use it to his advantage, or to Paul's disadvantage, but it would be hard.

"Sceptile, Quick Attack!" Ash quickly decided, really hoping to use his speed advantage to overpower the behemoth of a Drapion. Dashing forward, a trail of white light followed Sceptile before Drapion started moving of its own accord.

"Stop him with Pin Missiles!" Paul responded, still somewhat surprised from his Aggron's defeat.

"Spin!" Ash suddenly called, Drapion's attack aimed straight at Sceptile. Pulling his arms alongside his body, Sceptile spun in the air which allowed him to barely avoid the attack. "Leaf Blade!" Ash followed up, using the momentum to empower Sceptile's attack. Swining his arms, Sceptile connected his blade with Drapion's body before kicking himself up in the air and holding his arms crossed for a third strike.

"Cross Poison!" Paul countered, Drapion's Cross Poison crashing against Sceptile's crossed Leaf Blades. Trying to stop the attack from hitting him, and to avoid any chance of poisoning, Sceptile pushed his blades against the Drapion's Cross Poison while hoping he would eventually give up.

"Disengage!" Ash instead ordered, seeing no point in trying to outmatch Drapion's raw power. Giving it a final push, Sceptile jumped spinning backwards and landed on one of his knees. Standing up, Sceptile and Drapion stared at each other while trying to anticipate their opponent's next move.

"Hyper Beam!"

"Solar Beam!" two consecutive commands came, Paul being the one who initiated the power duel. Gathering the energy needed for their respective attacks, it was another standoff where both trainers were staring at the Pokemon intensely.

"Fire!" Ash and Paul shouted at the same time, Drapion firing a beam of raw power while Sceptile released all the solar energy he had gathered. Both attacks fired, orange was clash with yellow. A few seconds later, a cloud of smoke covered the field, Ash and Paul covering their mouths and closing their eyes while waiting for a result. Both Pokemon were still standing, but both looking like they couldn't take much more. One attack could probably end it, both trainers gauging the risk and effectiveness of certain moves.

"Blade Barrage!" Ash shouted, surprising everyone watching once again. How many new moves did he have? Utilizing Quick Attack, Sceptile dashed forward with his blades ready and glowing. But Paul wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Ice Fang!" Paul countered, hoping it would be enough to at least stop Sceptile from further attacking. A second before Drapion could hit, Sceptile somehow managed to dodge the attack. And that meant the battle was over, there was a reason the attack was called Blade Barrage. Sceptile striked Drapion with his Leaf Blades so fast that it was pretty much impossible to keep count of how many times he hit. Eventually Drapion gave in, he gave a final grunt before a loud thud could be heard which showed that Drapion had fainted.

"Drapion is unable to battle! Send out your final Pokemon!" the referee said, mostly to Paul though in this situation. Well, there was really only one Pokemon Paul would use now.

"Torterra, let's go!" Paul announced, releasing his last and strongest Pokemon. Instead of trying his luck, Ash recalled Sceptile and gave it a quick though about who should he use next. "So, who're you gonna send out?"

"Do you really want to know? Snorlax, wake up!" Ash called, Snorlax materializing on the field. Rubbing his eyes, Snorlax let out a big yawn before sat straight up and looked at Torterra interested.

"Snorlax vs Torterra, begin!" the referee shouted, starting the battle one more time.

"Torterra, keep him in place with Frenzy Plant!" Paul ordered, Torterra focusing on calling upon the roots in the ground to lock down Snorlax.

"Not going to happen! Snorlax, dodge it!" Ash countered, Snorlax doing the unthinkable. Leaning backwards, Snorlax somehow managed to start rolling forward which gave it a similar look to Rollout but much slower.

"Keep trying!" Paul continued, not having many options besides using brute force. Which probably woudn't be the best idea if you thought of Snorlax's strength.

"Harden!" Ash suddenly called, Snorlax stopping and readying himself for the impact of Frenzy Plant. Hitting him, the only real effect of Frenzy Plant was that it held it Snorlax in place. "Break free!" Ash followed up, Snorlax throwing himself unto the roots. Not being able to stop Snorlax, the roots crumbled and allowed Snorlax unlimited movement.

"Leaf Storm!" Paul instead tried, taking a different approach.

"Hyper Beam!" Ash responded, Snorlax needing to focus and charge up the attack. Sending the massive amounts of leaves towards Snorlax, who was still charging, a small grin crept on Paul's face. He was pretty confident that Leaf Storm would hit before Snorlax's Hyper Beam was ready, also breaking his concentration and allowing Torterra to lock him down with Frenzy Plant and maybe even finish the battle with his own Hyper Beam. But, sadly for Paul, that wasn't the case.

"Fire!" Ash ordered, Snorlax defying all laws again. How could a Pokemon charge up a Hyper Beam that fast? Opening his mouth, an orb of pure energy was clearly visible and quickly changed into an enormous beam headed straight for Torterra. Cutting through the leaves like nothing, Paul was desperate to find a way to at least reduce the damage.

"Synthesis!" Paul screamed, hoping his plan would work. Closing his eyes, Torterra started using Synthesis a second before Snorlax's Hyper Beam connected. Through the cloud of smoke a green glow could be seen before a roar from the Continental Pokemon removed it. Looking surprised at Torterra, Ash had to admit the raw will to not falter of Paul's Torterra. Having been a clear and sunny day, Torterra's use of Synthesis right before the impact had given it the most of use of it. Healing itself while taking damage, what a surprising strategy from Paul.

"Impressive, but not enough. Snorlax, get close and use Ice Punch!" Ash called, Snorlax for the third time during the battle doing impossible things for its size and weight. Hitting Torterra's head with the Ice Punch, Torterra screamed in pain as part of his started freezing. "Seems like it ends here." Ash stated, really impressed by Paul's skill. He could probably challenge any of the Elite Four and maybe even a Champion.

"Just finish it, I want to see you win in the finals." Paul responded, closing his eyes while waiting for Ash's finishing command.

"One more time Snorlax, Hyper Beam!"

* * *

**There we go, Chapter 9 finished. I really tried to put some more effort into the battle to make up for the delay in updates. Hopefully it was for your satisfaction. You can expect Chapter 10 before the weeks ends, plus Chapter 3 of _White: Crossing the Limits_. My next story won't reveal anything about the two dreams I've put in this story. That'll be for my story after the next one. Also, I saw some more Mega Evolutions. And I'm so excited to use them! Review as usual and I'll see you guys next time!**


	10. Chapter 10 - A Clash of Titans!

**Here you go, the last chapter of _Hoenn's Princess and her Guardian_! It has been a long ride, and I'm happy that it's finally over. I enjoyed writing this over the months, even if those last two chapters were not my most enjoyable experience of writing, I pulled through and got satisfied with the result. But it was a pain to write this, especially after I had changed my style in _The Truth of a Master__!_. Also, it got a little short but whatever. Review as usual and welcome to Chapter 10!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

"Finish it with Hyper Beam!" Ash roared, Paul closing his eyes as the command left Ash's mouth.

"Torterra, stand your ground." Paul stated, looking somewhat disappointed while watching Torterra ready himself for the impact. Gathering the needed energy, Snorlax fired the beam a split second later while Torterra planned to take the attack head on. Roaring in pain the instant he got hit, Paul waited patiently to see if Torterra was even standing before he acted.

"Torterra is unable to battle! The winner is Ash Ketchum!" the referee announced, having waited until all of the smoke had disappeared to see that Torterra had fainted. Walking over to Snorlax, Ash patted him on the head before he laid down and started snoring. Should he have expected anything else?

"Congratulations I guess." Paul said, walking over to Ash before he held out his hand.

"You can be proud of your Pokemon." Ash responded, shaking Paul's hand. Letting go of it, Paul turned around a last time before he would leave.

"Don't you dare to lose now." Paul added, continuing to walk towards the exit of the arena.

"I don't plan on losing!" Ash shouted after him, before he also headed for the exit.

"That was so awesome!" were the only words Ash heard before anyone could prepare him from getting tackled to the ground.

"Well thanks." Ash responded sheepishly, trying to stand without having to get May off himself.

"An impressive victory Ash." Brock stated, unbelievably proud of his friend for having finally fulfilled his dream. Almost.

"Ash Ketchum?" a voice known to everyone besides Ash.

"Yes?" Ash responded, looking to find the source of the voice.

"Congratulations on your victory." the cloaked man started, "It looks like I will be your last opponent."

"Well, then I hope you will put a good fight." Ash said, watching carefully as the man pulled down his hood.

"I Red, former Champion of Kanto, challenge you to a 1 on 1 battle!" Red announced, holding a pokeball in his hand. Eyes wide, Ash stared at Red. Wasn't he head? Rumors had said that he had been training for the last 10 years on Mt. Silver. "Nor expecting to meet a living legend?"

"It's an honor!" Ash quickly responded, having overcome his shock before he also took a pokeball from his belt.

"We'll meet on the battlefield in 10 minutes." Red stated, quickly walking in the direction of the arena.

"Did you know of this?" Ash quickly asked Steven, not having said a single word since his battle.

"Yes." Steven said honestly, smiling a little before he also left them. Everything of this had been planned?

"So Ash, it looks you will be receiving one of the greatest honors a Pokemon trainer could imagine." Brock stated, Garry nodding in agreement. "We'll root for you!"

"Looks like we're the only ones left." Ash said to May, holding her as tight as he possibly could.

"Will you win this for me?" May asked, looking straight into Ash's eyes.

"I will." Ash responded softly, placing a hand under May's chin and lifting it up. Leaning closer, Ash softly put his lips against her lips and gave her a quick peck. Quickly pulling away, the two lovers looked into each other's eyes before Ash let go of May. "We'll see each other once I've won, alright?"

"We will!" May cheered gladly, before running to the lounge from which she could watch battle.

* * *

"Now, facing off in this spectacular finale will be two very special trainers! Welcome Ash Ketchum to the field!" the announcer shouted, the crowd roaring in support. Who wouldn't support Ash after the performance he had been putting up through the entire Conference? Exiting the corridor, Ash entered the field on which he most likely would face his hardest challenge ever.

"But his opponent is not less impressive! I'm honored to welcome a living legend to the field! Welcome Red, the former Champion of Kanto!" the announcer nearly screamed, the crowd going wild as Red entered the field. Having taken off his cloak, Red had decided to wear the same clothes he had used when he became the Champion. This was after all possibly his hardest battle too.

"Trainers, this will be a 1 on 1 battle! The Pokemon who faints first has lost! Understood?" the referee asked, both trainers nodding. "Send out your Pokemon!"

"Are you ready for this Ash?" Red asked, a very special Pokemon ready to be unleashed from its ball.

"As ready as I can be!" Ash said, both trainers throwing their pokeballs in the air. Blinking a few times, Ash was somewhat shocked to see a Charizard stand on the other side of the field.

"Surprised that I also got a Charizard?" Red asked, pulling something out of his pocket. "Why don't we take this a step further?"

"You got it!" Ash responded, also pulling out his Mega Stone.

"Mega Evolution now!" they shouted in unison, their Charizards enveloped in light as both obtained their highest level of power. Compared to his Charizard though, Red's Charizard didn't look that different from before, instead only a few minor differences were clearly visible.

"Trainers, prepare yourself!" the referee announced, "Begin!"

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, having waited for that Red maybe would make the frist move.

"Charizard, show him how a true Flamethrower looks like!" Red countered, both Charizards releasing a stream of flame which collided in the middle.

"Get close and use Slash!" Ash quickly ordered, knowing that holding back was no option.

"Block it with Steel Wing!" Red commanded, his Charizard crossing his wings before Charizard could strike. Hitting, Ash's Charizard desperately tried to get through the defence that had been put up.

"Now, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, catching Red a little off-guard. Breathing out the flames, Red's Charizard was unable to keep up with it and had to get out before any more damage could be dealt.

"Dragon Claw!" Red called, his Charizard closing the distance he had created between himself and Ash's Charizard.

"You too Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Ash countered, both Charizards roaring before their claws clashed. "Dragon Tail and then another Dragon Claw!" Ash followed up, Ash's Charizard swinging his tail at at the claw of Red's Charizard. Batting it away, Ash's Charizard quickly took his chance and struck Red's Charizard straight in the stomach with his Dragon Claw.

"Charizard, use Overheat!" Red countered, his Charizard managing to ignore the pain before he opened his mouth to reveal the fire stored there. Ash's Charizard, who still was right next to Red's Charizard, had no time to react and to dodge the other Charizard's Overheat. Crashing into the ground, dust covering any vision both trainers had on the Charizard, Red's Charizard was still up in the sky with his wings flapping while watching carefully to see what would happen. Out of the cloud of dust came an orb of pure fire, Ash's having managed to use Blast Burn. Taking revenge, Red's Charizard got hit by the Blast Burn and had to land on the ground, the pain visible on his face.

"Dragon Breath!" Ash called out, Red getting snapped out of his thoughts. Acting on his own, Red's Charizard continuously avoided the stream of Dragon Breath which chased him over the entire field.

"Counter it with Fire Blast!" Red suddenly ordered, his Charizard stopping midair and facing the incoming attack. Using Fire Blast, Charizard's Dragon Breath was easily pushed back while he barely managed to dodged it. Ash could only stare, his Charizard's Dragon Breath having stood no chance against the overwhelming power of that Fire Blast. Was this the power of the most powerful trainer in the world? He could and would not falter here!

"Charizard, get close and use and then follow up with Wing Attack!" Ash shouted, his Charizard quickly closing on Red's Charizard and struck him before he could even do anything. Not being done yet, he quickly followed it up with Wing Attack and slammed his opposition into the ground. "Now use Overheat!"

"Charizard, use Dragon Claw and then Blast Burn!" Red commanded, his Charizard slashing Ash's Charizard straight over the stomach while he was preparing to use Overheat. Mot showing any mercy, Charizard fired off a Blast Burn and aimed straight for the spot where he had struck with Dragon Claw just a few seconds ago. Roaring in pain, Red's Charizard quickly backed off to make sure Ash's Charizard would not get in an easy hit on him. Instead, Ash's Charizard was only glaring at Red's Charizard while his eyes were filled with rage. It had been a long time since he had gotten a beating like this. "Now, Air Slash!"

"Charizard, intercept and slam him into the ground!" Ash said, his Charizard bracing himself for Red's Charizard to get close enough. Grabbing his wings before he could inflict any major damage, Charizard flung Red's Charizard into the ground while displaying a raw power that shouldn't be possible. Standing on the ground, obviously with some distance between them, Ash's Charizard waited patiently for his opposition to get up.

"I'm impressed Ash. The rumors about weren't simply exaggerated, but completely true. And as much I would like you to win, it's not going to happen. Charizard, finish this Flare Blitz!" Red roared, his Charizard readying the attack. Rushing torward an exhausted Charizard, Ash knew there was little to no point in trying to order Charizard to dodge. But he would still try.

"Charizard! You've to get out of there!" Ash screamed, watching as Red's Charizard closed in while being glowing red. But it wasn't meant to be, Red's Charizard crashing into Ash's Charizard which sent him flying over the field while the dust hid him once again. But if there was one thing that Ash had learnt over the years, it was trust. His trust in that Charizard was still hanging in there, ready to truly end this and prove their worth as the strongest out there.

"Charizard, let's show him how it's done! Seismic Toss!" Ash shouted, shooting out of the cloud of dust was Charizard at an impossible speed. Not letting Red's Charizard recover, Charizard grabbed him and start flying straight up in the air before he started to spin. "Now!"

"No! Charizard use Blast Burn!" Red tried desperately, his Charizard not showing any signs of managing to follow his trainer's order. Diving straight down, Charizard flung Red's Charizard into the ground right before he would have hit the ground as well. An explosion of dust was created, covering the entire middle part of the field while Ash's Charizard exhausted managed to land on the side of his trainer.

"Red's Charizard is unable to battle! Ash Ketchum is the winner!" the referee announced, the dust having let up. He couldn't believe it! He had defeated the strongest trainer in the world! The crowd was out of their mind, cheering for Ash and the amazing performance he and Red had put up.

"Congratulations Ash." Red said, having walked up to him.

"Thanks, but you did put a good fight." Ash responded, holding out his hand. Taking it, Red shook it heartily while saying something to Ash. "I'll be sure to do that."

"Alright then, next time I think we should've a 6 on 6 battle. I got a few more Pokemon to show you." Red said smiling, before taking his leave and letting Ash think in peace who also left the arena. Instead of getting tackled this time, he was actually allowed to admire the slowly sinking sun before something blocked his vision. Not leaving him much of a choice, a pair of lips were softly against his and he eagerly responded with the same softness and passion as she was showing. Seemingly not wanting to stop, Ash forced himself to pull away before he grinned at the love of his life.

"You were so amazing." May softly, resting her head on his shoulder while he stroked her hair.

"If you think so. What do you think about some well deserved rest?" Ash asked softly, May looking a little surprised in his eyes.

"What did you've in mind?" May asked back, seeing a glimt of playfulness in Ash's eyes.

"How about we visit Pallet Town and you get to meet my mother?" Ash questioned, May's smile growing a little bigger.

"Sounds great." May responded, Ash putting his arm around her should before they walked in the direction of the hotel so they could start packing and head home, Ash's home.

* * *

**Done! That's all I got for _Hoenn's Princess and her Guardian_. I hope you enjoyed this story, so please tell me what you thought in your reviews! I'll start on chapter 5 of _The Truth of a Master!_ sometimes during this week. So, I'll see you guys next time!**


End file.
